Sony’s deal with Activision that is keepingCall of Dutyon PlayStation consoles includes just one more game, a newly emerged court document has revealed. This bit of gaming industry insight is just the latest in a long list of revelations stemming fromMicrosoft’s ongoing legal battle with the FTC over the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
In a February 2023 interview with CNBC, Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed that theCall of DutyPlayStation deal is nearly over. Elaborating on that point, Smith disclosed that Sony’s agreement with Activision is ending in 2024, which implied that PlayStation would be getting up to two moreCall of Dutytitles.
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In reality, the deal is effectively ending with theCall of Dutygame that comes out in 2023, according to a partially redacted document that was unsealed at a San Francisco federal court during the ongoing trial between the FTC and Microsoft. Sony was previously offered a decade-long extension of its existing agreement with Activision as part of Microsoft’s bid to push the $68.7 billion acquisition over the finish line, but has rejected that proposal, citing concerns about the series' long-term future on PlayStation. And while its existing deal is now coming to an end, top-ranking Microsoft officials insist that nothing would change in the post-acquisition world, having repeatedly reiterated their intentions to keepCall of Dutygames on PlayStation consoles.
The latest such pledge arrived on June 23, whenXbox Head Phil Spencer swore an oath overCall of Duty’sPlayStation futureafter District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley asked him to do so. As part of that sworn testimony, the executive committed to continue shippingCall of Dutygames on all present and future Sony consoles. In response to that move, the FTC’s attorneys asked Spencer to swear another oath regarding the series' future on cloud gaming platforms rivaling Xbox Cloud Gaming, but Judge Corley rejected that request as non-pertinent before he could respond.
In preparation for the ongoing trial, the FTC solicited a declaration from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan that labeledCall of Dutyas the third-largest third-party franchise on PlayStation in terms of revenue. The statement also listed a variety of concerns that Sony has about the deal even should Microsoft keepCall of Dutyon PlayStation. Among other things, Ryan posited that Microsoft could delay the PlayStation versions of futureCall of Dutygames or sell them at a higher price compared to their Xbox counterparts. The SIE CEO also opined that Sony is facing a feasible risk of losing Activision Blizzard’s other hit franchises such asDiabloandCrash Bandicootin the event that the acquisition goes through.
The FTC’s trial with Microsoft will continue with closing arguments on June 29. A first-instance verdict on the matter is expected before Microsoft’s July 18 deadline for completing the acquisition.
