Way back in 2003, the first Call of Duty game hit store shelves with Activision as its publisher. Originally the series was a World War 2-set shooter before moving to other settings and time periods. Nearly 20 years later, the Call of Duty franchise releases a new game every year for PlayStation and Xbox consoles and PC. Some, however, are worrying that this may be coming to an end.
Over the past few years, Microsoft has been buying up developer studios and publishers. The tech giant purchased Obsidian back in 2018 and then went on to buy Bethesda in 2020. Activision was added to Microsoft's list at the start of the year for nearly $70 billion, making it the biggest acquisition of its kind to date. Once the purchase goes through, Microsoft will own such major titles as Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and numerous other titles that Activision owns. Many, however, have been openly wondering if these franchises will become Xbox/PC exclusives as a result.
In the past, Microsoft has defended its pending purchase of Activision and has insisted that it won't make the Call of Duty franchise an Xbox/PC exclusive once it goes through. Now the company has finally given a more tangible reason as to why it won't do this. In a document sent to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense, Microsoft reiterated that it had no intention to do this. The main reason that was cited was that it simply wouldn't be profitable to do so:
Regardless of how unsurprising Sony‘s criticism of content exclusivity is – given that PlayStation’s entire strategy has been centered on exclusivity over the years – the reality is that the strategy of retaining Activision Blizzard’s games by not distributing them in rival console shops would simply not be profitable for Microsoft.
Activision continues to pump out Call of Duty games on a yearly basis. The franchise's next installment is set to be released in October of this year under the title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and will be a direct sequel to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot from 2019. Modern Warfare 2's first full campaign trailer was released in June, giving gamers an idea of what they can expect from the franchise's latest entry.
Microsoft's pending purchase of Activision came at a turbulent time for the Call of Duty publisher. For years the company had been steeped in controversy regarding its business practices and ongoing allegations of toxic work environments and sexual harassment. Things are allegedly so bad at the company that Raven Software successfully formed a Union, despite the company's efforts to prevent it. Whether Microsoft's purchase of the publisher will improve things for the people working at the company remains to be seen.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: VGC
