I hate it when our video game parents argue.
Although the “Genesis Does What Nintendo Doesn’t” style of ’90s console wars isn’t really around anymore, we got a small, more buttoned-up version of that last week thanks to Duty. Xbox CEO Phil Spencer and PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan are engaged in a public battle of words over whether or not the famed shooter series will appear on PlayStation consoles in the future.
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Let’s see what exactly is going on and whether Duty fans have some reason to be concerned about the future of the series.
Why are PlayStation and Xbox arguing about it? Duty?
‘Call of Duty: Vanguard’ was a hot seller on PlayStation consoles.
Credit: Activision/PlayStation Store
All the way back in January of this year, Microsoft announced its intent to launch Activision Blizzard (the company that owns Duty) in a $69 billion blockbuster deal that shook the game industry to its foundations. It’s the biggest gaming acquisition ever and, if it goes through, Xbox publishing could take control of a enormous library of games, including not only Duty but also Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skaterand more.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the deal (which continues to make its way through regulatory bodies around the world) is what exactly will happen to Duty. When a company like Microsoft acquires a bunch of intellectual property like this, there’s usually some expectation that you’ll need to buy an Xbox or PC to continue playing those games in the future. It would, of course, be a major blow to PlayStation to lose the franchise. In UK Retail Sales Charts from last November, 70 percent of Call of Duty: Vanguard sales were for PlayStation versions of the game.
That specific statistic has become a bottleneck for the competition regulator of at least one country. the UKs Competition and Markets Authority (or CMA) has flagged the deal for a more in-depth investigation as it “could result in a substantial reduction in competition” in the UK
At the time of the acquisition announcement, Spencer took to Twitter with a vaguely worded promise to keep Duty on Playstation.
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Spencer and Xbox have generally stuck with this conversation ever since. Company told the Brazilian competition authority in August that lockdown Duty to Xbox would not be profitable. Spencer even compared the company’s proposed treatment of the shooter series to Microsoft’s handling Minecraft (which is available) everywhere), say “players benefit from this approach” in a blog post on Sept 1. Spencer repeated the sentiment a day later to The edgerevealing that Xbox signed a deal to make sure Duty wouldn’t be leaving PlayStation for the foreseeable future.
“In January, we provided Sony with a signed agreement to ensure that Duty on PlayStation, with parity of features and content, for at least a few more years outside of the current Sony contract, an offering that goes far beyond typical gaming industry agreements,” Spencer told The Verge.
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The “current Sony contract” Spencer referred to is apparently holding up Duty on PlayStation until 2024, per Bloomberg. So, if Spencer can be taken at his word, Duty won’t become an Xbox exclusive until at least “several years” after 2024, if at all. There’s one problem: Spencer may have a different definition of “multiple” than you or me.
Enter Ryan, who told GamesIndustry.biz that Xbox only commits itself to keep Duty on PlayStation for three years after the end of the contract. He called the proposal “inadequate on many levels and failed to consider the impact on our gamers.” It’s a little odd for a powerful gaming CEO to air dirty laundry in public, to say the least, but Ryan said he did this because Spencer “brought this to the public forum” with his comments to The Verge.
At the time of publication, Spencer has not responded with any kind of response. As these two corporate behemoths battle it out, we people wonder: will PlayStation owners still be able to play? Duty “several” years from now?
Shall Duty ever leave PlayStation for good?
It’s a real shame that ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ never made it to Xbox.
Credit: Square Enix
There is simply no way to answer that question with certainty at this point. Based on the game industry’s long history (and Ryan’s claim about Spencer’s proposal), the answer seems to be that Duty could become an Xbox and PC exclusive at some point. In general, if a company can guarantee exclusivity for something super popular, it shall.
In fact, PlayStation often has exclusivity deals with IP that it doesn’t even own. a few recent ones Final Fantasy games, like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy XIVand the coming Final Fantasy XVI are all exclusive to PlayStation, despite being owned by the third-party company Square Enix, for example. Duty has even had timed exclusives on maps and other DLC on PlayStation for nearly a decade.
According to Louise Shorthouse, senior analyst at research firm Ampere Analysis, Duty has the kind of power to sell consoles itself. Sales analytics firm NPD says last year Call of Duty: Vanguard is still the sixth best-selling game of this one year.
“There will be many Duty players who are extremely passionate about the game and who will move to another platform,” said Shorthouse. “There will be a large number of casual players who… [are] really a flight risk if it disappears completely from PlayStation.
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Shorthouse also said it would be a “scary future” for players if Xbox did indeed pull the plug Duty come to playstation. It would mean taking a major franchise away from the platform where it is most popular, which runs counter to Xbox’s recent attempts to separate games from hardware by making them playable anywhere, anytime via cloud streaming.
The reputation hit Xbox would get might be the best argument against taking Duty away from PlayStation. Xbox’s claim to Brazilian authorities that it would harm its business and Spencer’s example of Minecraft remaining multiplatform are also solid indications that the worst may not happen for the beloved shooter series. But given the cold, harsh realities of big business, it might not be wise to assume that a company will do the right thing just for the sake of it.
If it’s any consolation, it seems so Duty fans won’t have to worry about exclusivity until 2027 at the earliest. Considering how difficult it has been to Playstation 5 or Xbox Series Xmany people may have to wait that long to decide which console to buy.
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I hate to say it, but if you For real love Dutyis the safest bet to comply with Microsoft’s game dominance plans and buy an Xbox.
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