Sony didn’t have a great day today, after their testimony in the FTC v Microsoft hearing resulted in the reveal of some improperly redacted documents. As such, this information that was likely meant to be kept secret has been revealed, and one of them concerns the future of Call of Duty on the PlayStation.
The accidental bombshell reveal that GameLuster has verified with the now-deleted documents exposes that, despite having a marketing contract with Call of Duty scheduled to end in 2024, the last game Sony will have marketing rights to will be this year’s “late 2023” title. The information can be found in the redacted section 42, and is easier to read with adjusted brightness and contrast. This means that after the next Call of Duty game, Activision may be able to position the Xbox console as the best place to play the shooter franchise.
It’s not all bad news for PlayStation gamers though, as PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan himself doesn’t expect the franchise to go entirely exclusive to the Xbox, as was revealed earlier today. In fact, Activision and Microsoft have repeatedly been outspoken about their desire to keep the Call of Duty franchise available on the PlayStation, even if their acquisition deal closes.
The Call of Duty franchise is an enormous one, especially on the PlayStation platform. Despite Ryan’s private interactions suggesting otherwise, Sony’s public line of attack implies that Xbox could be tempted to take the series away from PlayStation, in an attempt to bring over its massive player base to the significantly less successful Xbox. Whether the acquisition deal will close is still a mystery at this point, but PlayStation’s future with the Call of Duty franchise has never been more unsure.
What do you think the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation will look like? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to GameLuster for more breaking gaming news. Also, be sure to check out the rest of our Microsoft-Activision Blizzard coverage!
