18 October 2023 , 12:09
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Phil Spencer has spoken on a podcast about the future of Call of Duty now that it’s owned by Xbox, assuring players that its own version will be exactly the same as what’s on PlayStation.
With the Microsoft Activision deal finally complete for $69 billion, following a 20-month-long battle to push it through, players are, quite rightly, wondering how Activision Blizzard franchises will be treated differently going forward. Xbox head Phil Spencer has already been doing the rounds, speaking on an Xbox podcast about how Xbox Game Pass won’t see any influx of titles soon. But where does the Microsoft-owned platform stand on Call of Duty?
Well, in that same Xbox podcast where Spencer reaffirmed that major Activision releases like Diablo 4 aren’t expected to hit Xbox Game Pass any time soon, he directly addressed PlayStation fans who might be concerned that the blockbuster FPS series might go away. “I want you to feel 100% part of the community,” he said. “The goal is 100% parity across all platforms”.
Spencer went on to confirm that said parity will mainly be in terms of content, as opposed to technical restrictions such as memory and resolution where future platforms like Nintendo might struggle. More importantly, he reinforced the sentiment that Microsoft has “no goal of somehow using Call of Duty to get you to buy an Xbox console”. A smart move considering that there are far more PS4 and PS5 consoles out there compared to Xbox Series X and Xbox Ones.
Duty calls
While it’s good to hear Phil Spencer reinforce the attitude that Call of Duty won’t undergo any significant changes on PlayStation (at least in the near future), I’m at the point now where I’ll be taking everything he says with a pinch of salt. While Xbox has committed to keeping the series on other platforms for a minimum of 10 years in order to get the Microsoft Activision deal through, Microsoft’s handling of Bethesda shows that the proof is in the pudding.
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Prior to Microsoft purchasing Bethesda, it was expected that multiplatform franchises such as The Elder Scrolls would launch on PC, Xbox and PlayStation. The same can be said for Starfield back when it was announced. Fast forward 10 years later, however, and Starfield recently released as a console exclusive on Xbox Series X.
Of course, Xbox has every right to release its games on whichever platform it chooses to, but there’s a precedent for it to go back on its word in situations like this. Fortunately, Phil Spencer and co. are wise to keep Call of Duty at ‘100% parity’ on PlayStation for the foreseeable, seeing as that’s where titles like Modern Warfare 3 are likely to sell the most. Should the sales gap between Xbox and PlayStation begin to tighten, don’t be surprised to see this stance eventually change.