PlayStation has gotten onto its soapbox and expressed its disappointment with the announcement that Xbox will ensure Call Of Duty stays on the competition's console for several years after its agreement with Activision expires, calling the offer "inadequate on many levels."
Considering that Call of Duty is not only a household name but is one of the most fiscally successful series ever, of course there's going to be a bit of jostling from Sony to be sure it's not being left behind. At the moment, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision is under review due to the fact that business moves like these need to be judged for their potential impact on the market and consumer purchasing power, and now PlayStation has held forth on its feelings.
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"I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum," said Jim Ryan, CEO of PlayStation, in a statement supplied to GamesIndustry.biz. "Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle."
Oof. While Xbox said its offer "goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements," it looks like there's been a bit of a miscommunication. We'll have to wait and see how the acquisition progresses.
Topics: Call Of Duty, Activision, PlayStation, Xbox