Exclusive: Microsoft Unveils Jaw-Dropping Duration of the New PlayStation Call of Duty Agreement

Microsoft has confirmed that its newly-established partnership with Sony for Call of Duty will span over a decade. With the aim of gaining approval for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard from regulators, Microsoft has been making commitments to expand the availability of Activision-published games across various platforms. This endeavor includes making Activision games accessible on competing cloud gaming platforms, as well as bringing Call of Duty to rival consoles.

In the past, Microsoft entered into an agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to the Nintendo Switch, and it extended a similar proposal to Sony. Unfortunately, Sony declined to sign the agreement, hoping that regulators would obstruct Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Despite encountering some obstacles, Microsoft has now received the green light to proceed with its acquisition, thereby integrating all of the company's games under its umbrella.

Sony has now signed a deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for at least 10 years, although the specifics of the deal are not publicly known. Microsoft has confirmed the 10-year detail. While it is technically possible for Call of Duty to become Xbox exclusive after a decade, it is unlikely to happen. The financial success of Call of Duty makes it unlikely for it to be kept off PlayStation consoles, even after the 10-year deal ends. It is expected that Call of Duty will be treated similar to Minecraft, which Microsoft owns but still releases on competitors' platforms. However, the gaming landscape could change significantly in the next 10 years, so it is uncertain what will happen to Call of Duty after that time.

The deal suggests that Call of Duty games will be available on the upcoming PlayStation 6. Recent court battles indicated that the next generation of consoles will likely be launched in 2028, fitting within the 10-year timeframe. However, there is a potential obstacle for bringing Call of Duty to the PS6 in the future.

Sony has expressed concerns about providing Activision Blizzard with PlayStation 6 development kits following the completion of the Microsoft deal. The reasoning behind this is that it would potentially give a competitor access to confidential information about its new console. Nevertheless, taking this risk might be necessary to ensure that Call of Duty releases simultaneously on the next PlayStation console and whatever the next Xbox is eventually named.