Days after Raven Software QA workers announced their intention to unionize with the Communication Workers of America (CWA), Activision notified workers Monday that...

It was a big week. Time to get caught up.

The deal won't close until it's given regulatory approval, and some observers think that could be a challenge.

"Sony is an important part of our industry".

Will Activision games continue to release on PlayStation consoles once Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision goes through? That's the question on everyone's minds right now, and the team in green itself likely doesn't even know for sure just yet either. However, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has today taken to Twitter following discussions with Sony bigwigs. He has expressed his desire "to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation".

The complete quote reads as follows: "Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship."

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The Microsoft Gaming CEO has been flipping through Activision Blizzard's back catalog.

Here's the breakdown of whether or not Call of Duty will be leaving PlayStation after the Xbox deal.

Spencer has finally shed light on Microsoft's plans for Activision Blizzard platform exclusivity.

It appears you'll still be able to answer the Call of Duty on PlayStation in the future, despite Microsoft's pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer made the announcement just a few days after the acquisition was revealed, answering one of players' most-pressing questions.

Speaking on Twitter, Spencer said Microsoft intends to "honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation."

There were questions regarding Call of Duty's position as an Xbox exclusive in the future, but Spencer's statement appears to put those to bed--at least for now. It's also possible that some, but not all, Call of Duty games will come to PlayStation, or that Microsoft provides it as a Game Pass-exclusive and thus would require the service to be on PS4 and PS5.

There is no stopping Microsoft from making Call of Duty a console-exclusive franchise several years from now, but it would also go against the philosophy that Spencer's teams have adopted over the last several years. Despite purchasing Mojang Studios, Minecraft still gets support and even spin-off games on PlayStation and Nintendo systems.

Other Activision Blizzard brands remain question marks regarding exclusivity. These include Diablo, Warcraft, Overwatch, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and other dormant franchises like Prototype and Singularity. However, there's a pretty good chance most of these will find their way to Game Pass, if the Bethesda Softworks library is anything to go by.

Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition is expected to close in FY 2023, which begins later this year. It must be approved by regulatory agencies prior to being official.

Wants contracts to be abided by.

Sony has this morning issued a statement in response to Microsoft's $69 billion dollar deal to purchase Activision. In a quote shared with The Wall Street Journal via a Sony spokesperson, the firm said: "We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform."

It's a very short and corporate response that gives little away, but it does suggest Sony expects Activision games to hit PlayStation 5 and PS4 beyond the closure of the deal at some point next year. Whether that actually happens, though, will be in the hands of Microsoft as the Call of Duty maker begins reporting to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. Any titles released before that closure should still be free to release on PS5, PS4 — at the moment, that just seems to include the rumoured Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 from Infinity Ward.

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There were a lot of questions following yesterday’s announcement that Microsoft was acquiring Activision Blizzard for the tune of a cool $68.7 billion USD. Namely, the thought that plagued many players minds was: will Diablo and Call of Duty be exclusive to Xbox and PC? Newly crowned Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer did say the company was planning on bringing AB franchises to Game Pass. However, would that mean Call of Duty fans on PlayStation need to migrate? In another statement by Spencer, this probably isn’t the case: Activision Blizzard games won’t be exclusive to Xbox and PC. “I’ll just say to players out there who are playing Activision Blizzard games on Sony’s platform: It’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform and we remained committed to that,” Spencer said in an interview with Bloomberg. From the sound of things, if you enjoy Call of Duty on your PlayStation console, you won’t need to worry about migrating elsewhere.   ...

With the announcement of its intention to buy Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion, Microsoft has rearranged its gaming arm, creating a Microsoft Gaming division with Phil Spencer at its head. In emails to staff reproduced by The Verge, both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and newly-minted Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer have further detailed what this acquisition will mean for Microsoft employees.

Nadella's message can be read in full below, addressing the role Activision Blizzard will play in furthering Microsoft's gaming ambitions--specifically singling out metaverse platforms, cloud gaming, and game subscriptions as initiatives that may benefit from the acquisition.

"Team,

I’m thrilled to share that this morning we announced an agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. Activision Blizzard is one of the largest game publishers worldwide across console, PC and mobile, and it’s home to nearly 400 million monthly active players, along with iconic games including Call of Duty, Candy Crush, World of Warcraft and Diablo.

Gaming has been key to Microsoft since our earliest days as a company. Today, it’s the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment, and as the digital and physical worlds come together, it will play a critical role in the development of metaverse platforms.

Together with Activision Blizzard, we believe we have an incredible opportunity to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and we will invest and innovate to create the best content, community and cloud for gamers. We want to make it easier for people to connect and play great games wherever, whenever and however they want.

This agreement is a testament to the impact our gaming team has delivered, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work and commitment. Over the past few years, we’ve expanded our content pipeline and have become leaders in game subscriptions, as well as cloud gaming. And this holiday it was especially gratifying to see the response from fans and read the great reviews of our new first-party titles.

Effective today, Phil Spencer will become CEO, Microsoft Gaming. When the acquisition closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil. We look forward to extending our journey to create a more diverse and inclusive culture to our new colleagues at Activision Blizzard, and ensuring all our employees can do what they love, while thriving in a safe and welcoming environment — one where everyone feels empowered to do their best work.

I will be hosting a webcast with investors at 6 a.m. PT with Phil and Amy, as well as Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, to share more details on our big ambitions for gaming. Please join if you can.

Satya"

In the investor webcast mentioned by Nadella, he elaborated on the decision to purchase Activision Blizzard, including more details on Microsoft's metaverse ambitions, and extending the company's reach in the mobile gaming space. Nadella also addressed ongoing controversy about Activision Blizzard's toxic company culture more directly, saying "we also recognize that after close, we will have significant work to do in order to continue to build a culture where everyone can do their best work."

Phil Spencer also sent out an email to employees, addressing his new role as CEO of Microsoft Gaming and elaborating on the extended timeline of the acquisition. Spencer's email also invites Microsoft employees to submit anonymous questions about the deal, while also including a timely reminder for staff to be mindful of the company's social media guidelines.

"Welcome back from the holidays. To start, I’d like to thank everyone for all of the hard work and dedication that have built this business and this community. Obviously, today’s agreement to acquire Activision Blizzard is incredibly exciting. In fact it’s a milestone for our company, our business and our industry. I and the entire Gaming Leadership Team are deeply enthusiastic about this opportunity. We also announced this morning that we have surpassed 25 million Game Pass subscribers across console, cloud and PC, a great achievement for all of Team Xbox.

As players and partners, we all know how talented and dedicated the teams and studios are across Activision Blizzard. The legendary games and franchises across that company have delighted millions of people for decades. Coming together, we can accelerate our mission to extend the joy and community of gaming to everyone. We have the capability and opportunity to build simply the best, most engaging, most fun entertainment ecosystem anywhere.

Microsoft is committed to our journey for inclusion in every aspect of gaming, among both employees and players. We deeply value individual studio cultures. We also believe that creative success and autonomy go hand-in-hand with treating every person with dignity and respect. We hold all teams, and all leaders, to this commitment. We’re looking forward to extending our culture of proactive inclusion to the great teams across Activision Blizzard.

We expect this acquisition to close in FY23, pending regulatory approvals. Once the acquisition is completed, the Activision Blizzard business will report to me. In the meantime, we know you will have a lot of questions. The Gaming Leadership Team and I look forward to answering as many as we can at our next Monthly Gaming Update on Jan. 26. You can submit your questions now anonymously, or post them on our Team Xbox Yammer. Please also refresh on our corporate social media guidelines.

As Satya mentioned, I am now CEO, Microsoft Gaming. This change is a reflection of the incredible work each of you are doing to create the best entertainment ecosystem anywhere. As a leadership team, we know how much exciting but difficult work we have ahead of us, so it’s crucial that we operate as a single, unified team. To that end, I’m excited to announce effective today that Jerret West, CMO of Gaming, and his marketing team will move from Chris Capossela’s organization to report directly to me. Jerret will continue to be a member of Chris’ leadership team and leverage critical parts of Microsoft’s marketing muscle including Communications, Media, and Consumer Sales.

We will have a webcast for investors and media at 6 a.m. PT to discuss the Activision Blizzard transaction and our plans as Microsoft Gaming. Please join if you can.

Phil"

While both executives alluded to Activision Blizzard's culture of abuse, which has led to an investigation and lawsuit from the state of California, neither openly addressed the controversy that has seen employees at the company organizing to push for change.

In November last year, Phil Spencer stated that Xbox was "eva luating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments." As recently as January 11, Spencer stated that Xbox had "changed how we do certain things with [Activision Blizzard], and they're aware of that."

The Microsoft executives aren't the only ones who are hopeful that the acquisition will lead to positive change for employees at Activision Blizzard, even if it comes with a hefty payout for CEO Bobby Kotick, who has been accused of helping to cover up instances of abuse and harassment.

Read more on Microsoft's intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard here:

• So, Is Call Of Duty Going Xbox-Exclusive?
• The Internet Reacts To Microsoft Buying Activision Blizzard
• Activision Blizzard Is Microsoft's Biggest Acquisition Of All Time, Here's How It Stacks Up
• Will Microsoft Now Own Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?
• Xbox Creator "Sickened" By The Activision Buyout News, But Hopeful For Positive Change
• What Kind Of Culture Is Microsoft Buying In Activision Blizzard Acquisition Deal?

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is set to get approval in 2023. Making it the largest in the Games Industry's…

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