The Call of Duty series won't be removed from PlayStation

Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard made several people worry that the Call of Duty series might be removed entirely from PlayStation. The Xbox boss Phil Spencer tried to explain the situation by tweeting that it is Microsoft's "desire to keep Call of Duty on Playstation", but this wording isn't exactly waterproof. And what about Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV?

Now this has been better clarified in a blog post where Microsoft says they have started "the process of seeking regulatory approval in capitals around the world for our acquisition of Activision Blizzard". This seemingly includes continuing releasing releasing Call of Duty and more for PlayStation, and also Switch:

"First, some commentators have asked whether we will continue to make popular content like Activision's Call of Duty available on competing platforms like Sony's PlayStation. The obvious concern is that Microsoft could make this title available exclusively on the Xbox console, undermining opportunities for Sony PlayStation users.

To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision. And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love. We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo's successful platform. We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our business."

It should be pointed out that Microsoft isn't writing that all Activision Blizzard games will be coming to PlayStation and Switch. There might also be other marketing perks like extra content for Xbox, Xbox branded Call of Duty marketing, earlier release dates for Microsoft formats, Xbox accounts needed to be played or even some sort of forced Game Pass incorporation. Also, all Activision Blizzard titles will be included with Game Pass.

This should put an end to the discussion whether Call of Duty is coming to PlayStation or not. This is about as clear message as it can get.