Microsoft and Sony’s feud over ‘Call of Duty’ continues amid the ongoing Activision Blizzard acquisition

As many already know, Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard. The deal is currently under review by regulators in various parts of the world, but the Xbox’s parent company has also found itself in an ongoing spat with Sony regarding the future of “Call of Duty” on PlayStation.

PlayStation president Jim Ryan has responded to Microsoft’s recent statement, maintaining that “Call of Duty” will remain available on Sony’s gaming console. And Ryan said the commitment that Xbox’s parent company made “was inadequate on many levels.”

Microsoft said in January that future “Call of Duty” games will still be released on PlayStation even after Sony’s existing deals with Activision. Then, last week, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed it even provided a “signed agreement” to Sony to reflect this commitment.

Spencer’s statement came shortly after the United Kingdom’s Competition, and Markets Authority said Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard “could substantially lessen competition.” But after the signed agreement concerning “Call of Duty” was revealed, Ryan called out Spencer for supposedly making a “private business discussion” public knowledge.

“Microsoft has only offered for ‘Call of Duty’ to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends,” Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz. “Their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers.”

Activision Blizzard has a number of very popular video game franchises that would become Microsoft-owned IPs once the acquisition is completed. But the focus has been cast on “Call of Duty” in recent responses Microsoft and Sony provided to regulators scrutinizing the $68.7 billion transaction.

It remains to be seen how Ryan’s response will affect regulators’ investigation of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s deal. But the potential of future “Call of Duty” games being exclusive to Xbox consoles and services is unsurprisingly one of the biggest considerations in reviewing the acquisition.

The focus on “Call of Duty’s” future availability on consoles amid the ongoing acquisition was expected because it is one of the biggest-selling IPs in the video game industry, not just in the first-person shooter segment. Activision revealed to the Washington Post last June that the franchise’s lifetime revenue has surpassed $30 billion after selling more than 425 million copies.

Photo by Marco Verch from Flickr under Creative Commons license