While waiting for the regulatory go-ahead to close the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft confirmed that its intention is not to convert call of duty in an Xbox exclusive game. This was stated by Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, in a recent interview with xbox on.
Xbox’s top executive again rejected the idea that the Activision Blizzard purchase is a danger to competition. An argument that, to a large extent, has been fueled by Sony and its alleged fear that those from Redmond will remove call of duty from PlayStation.
Spencer assured that the non-exclusivity of call of duty on Xbox does not respond only to the fact that the popular shooter war continues to be published on other platforms, but also to reach everyone on equal terms. That is, without differences in terms of game modes and available content.
“We want to increase the number of places where people can play call of duty […]. We have made some specific agreements with Nintendo and NVIDIA, to make sure that the titles can appear in more places. And you certainly don’t make a game bigger by taking it away from those who are playing it today,” said the Xbox leader.
Recall that, last week, Microsoft made its 10-year agreement with Nintendo official to go call of duty to the switch. While Xbox games for PC will be added to the GeForce Now catalog, the platform under subscription belonging to NVIDIA.
Both ads have been listed as a publicity stunt to achieve the support of two heavyweights and counteract Sony’s proposals. But it is a reality that today they strengthen Phil Spencer’s speech so that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved.
«When we talk about ‘available everywhere’ or ‘non-exclusive’, it’s because we want to make the best version of call of duty for all players on any platform,” added the Microsoft executive.
Xbox reinforces its position that it does not want exclusivity in call of duty
Phil Spencer argued that the key to carrying call of duty to as many platforms as possible is to provide the same experience. Without restricting content or even experiences that could be considered secondary. And to graph it, he threw a peculiar dart at Hogwarts Legacy:
«Today I sit here with a great game that has come out in the last few weeks: Hogwarts Legacy. And yes, there is a quest that is available on PlayStation and not Xbox. I know this is part of the industry, but it’s not the game we’re trying to play here. It is not a skin in a weapon, nor in any game mode. the same version of the game [Call of Duty] it will be available on all platforms, which is actually what we are already doing. If you play Minecraft on PlayStation I don’t think you’ll feel like you have an inferior version [a la de Xbox]. And the same goes for minecraft dungeonor with Legendswhich will be available as soon as it comes out.
Phil Spencer’s statements about the future of call of duty They come just days after a presentation that Microsoft made in Brussels. There, those from Redmond sent a strong message to regulators, both in the European Union and the United Kingdom, about why they should approve the purchase of Activision Blizzard.
The president of Microsoft, Brad Smithassured that vetoing the acquisition would not help the competition, but rather would further concentrate Sony’s power over the sector. Furthermore, he made it clear that selling Activision—and thus call of duty— is not a concession they are willing to make.
“If you are the British CMA, you will have to make a decision. Do you want to close a deal and consolidate Sony’s position with its 80% share in the European Union, or 70% globally, in a market where it has been the super dominant company for 20 years? Or do you want to let the future move forward with protective measures and proposals to bring this title to 150 million more people? I think that’s the fundamental choice that most regulators are going to have to make around the world,” he said.