In a surprising about-face, Microsoft announced that all Activision Blizzard games, including future Call of Duty releases, will continue to launch on PlayStation consoles even after any existing deals expire. Microsoft was reportedly already set to release Call of Duty games on other consoles through 2023.
Detailed in a blog post focused on Microsoft’s approach to numerous app stores, the company committed to releasing games from its newly acquired publisher, Activision Blizzard, on platforms besides Xbox going forward. “To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision,” reads the post. “And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.”
Switch owners won’t have to worry about being left out from any future Activision Blizzard games either. The statement closed with Microsoft saying: “We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform.”
For Microsoft, the move is a change in behavior. After purchasing ZeniMax Media and acquiring the rights to future Bethesda titles, as well as those made by a suite of other developers, Microsoft quickly announced that whatever the next Elder Scrolls game is, it will only be playable on Xbox.
The decision to let PlayStation and Switch users continue to purchase Activision Blizzard games is certainly a strange one, although it may still encourage some users to buck whatever platform they primarily use for Microsoft’s in the end. Activision Blizzard games are going to launch day one on Xbox Game Pass, which can end up being much cheaper than purchasing a single one of the publisher’s games for $70.
