![Microsoft has announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion. This marks the largest acquisition in games industry history.</br></br> The acquisition, which is set to close in 2023, has major implications for the games industry encompassing one of gaming’s biggest console makers and some of gaming’s biggest franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch.</br></br> Click on to see the full story so far of one of gaming’s biggest business deals.” src=”https://xlera8.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/call-of-duty-activision-reportedly-wants-to-release-next-three-games-on-playstation-despite-xbox-acquisition.jpg” class=”jsx-2920405963 progressive-image image jsx-1921276618 rounded expand loading”></div>
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<p>After these, however, the future of Call of Duty outside of Xbox and Windows platforms is less clear. Xbox boss Phil Spencer tweeted last week that in a call with Sony executives he intends to <a rel=]()
“honor all existing agreements” between Activision and Sony.
When Xbox acquired ZeniMax Media, the company also reaffirmed its commitments to existing agreements and released Arkane’s Deathloop and Tango Gameworks’ upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo as PlayStation 5 exclusives. But Bethesda’s Starfield will be an Xbox console exclusive.
Sources familiar with Activision’s deal say that, for the next two years at least, Xbox will honor its commitments to release annual Call of Duty games on PlayStation. But when the acquisition is complete by 2022, Microsoft will examine the future of the franchise.
This includes determining whether or not to maintain the annual release schedule Call of Duty has kept over the years. Activision leads have reportedly discussed spacing out new releases.
The 13 Biggest Franchises Microsoft Will Own After the Xbox and Activision Deal
The effects of the Activision Xbox deal will ripple for the years to come, but based on how Microsoft handled acquiring Bethesda the signs point towards Xbox exclusivity, though experts are split on the matter. Meanwhile, Spencer is already looking at some retired Activision franchises that could be ripe for a revival.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
