Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Call of Duty to reportedly stay on PlayStation through 2023

By Tomas Franzese January 25, 2022

A new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claims that the new mainline Call of Duty games for 2022 and 2023, as well as a sequel to Call of Duty: Warzone, will still be released on PlayStation consoles.

This report comes just over a week after Microsoft announced it acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, with the deal expected to close by June 2023. Ever since the controversial acquisition was announced last week, we’ve speculated what this meant for the exclusivity of Call of Duty, one of the biggest franchises in gaming. The status of Call of Duty got even hazier when Microsoft’s Phil Spencer tweeted his “desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.”

Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022

This report clarifies what exactly the tweet means. According to four of Bloomberg’s sources, Activision Blizzard had already committed to releasing 2022’s Call of Duty game from Infinity Ward, 2023’s mainline Call of Duty game from Treyarch, and a new version of the free-to-play battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone on PlayStation platforms.

In the past, Microsoft has honored any preexisting console platform agreements, even after their acquisitions are complete, so it’s not very surprising that some Call of Duty games will end up on PlayStation for the next couple of years.

At the earliest, it seems like 2024 could be the first year where we see an Xbox-exclusive Call of Duty game. Bloomberg’s sources did say that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard aren’t completely ruling out releasing Call of Duty games on PlayStation after 2023 just yet. Bloomberg also previously reported that Activision Blizzard may consider not releasing Call of Duty games annually. Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and Sony have not commented on these reports.

Final decisions on these significant questions are expected to happen once the acquisition is complete. In the meantime, don’t expect any major shift in regard to Call of Duty’s platforms or release schedule for the next two years.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Warzone 2.0’s one-shot snipers are hard to use. Try this weapon instead

Character holding sniper in Warzone 2.0.

Activision finally added the ability to earn one-hit kills with certain snipers as part of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Season 3. This was a much-needed update that makes heavy rifles more viable. However, this comes with a major caveat, as the only way to earn a one-hit kill is by utilizing explosive rounds on a small selection of snipers, which absolutely tanks a weapon's bullet velocity.

This makes it extremely difficult to actually hit your shots, so inexperienced players won't really reap the benefits of the newly-added one-shot capabilities. However, there is an alternative solution that everyone should try, as it's a viable option that works well at long distances.

Gaming

Warzone 2.0 Plunder mode alleviates the stress of battle royale

Characters holding cash in Warzone 2.0 Plunder.

Call of Duty has been in a rough spot lately, with declining player counts and frustration from the community. But Activision has offset some of the negativity, at least slightly, with the release of the Plunder mode in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. This fan-favorite mode was introduced in the original Warzone, but was absent from the sequel until now. In Plunder, the focus isn't necessarily on surviving, but rather on collecting as much cash as possible. Respawns are enabled and loadouts are available by default, and the overall pacing is faster, so Plunder plays differently from Battle Royale.

It's a refreshing break from the stress of attempting to be the last squad standing in Battle Royale, making Plunder great for players looking to chill. Since its release, I've had such a blast with Plunder that I almost forgot about all the massive problems plaguing Warzone 2.0 at large.
Learning the ropes

Gaming

Even in Season 3, Warzone 2.0 still feels like it’s in beta

Two characters from Warzone 2.0 Season 3.

Activision hyped its Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Season 3 update considerably ,with numerous blog posts showcasing what to expect, along with a content creator call that detailed a slew of highly requested features. Now that the update is live, some members of the game's community are left feeling misled, as Season 3 isn't quite the radical change they were expecting.

While it does include new features and fix some of the sequel's long-standing issues, Warzone 2.0 is still packed with problems -- many of which make the game less approachable. Season 3 is a step in the right direction, but considering just how low the bar was before its release, it's not as impressive as it perhaps needs to be at this stage in the game's life, especially from a massive studio such as Activision.
New toys