Activision Blizzard says it has no intention of removing existing games from other platforms once it has been acquired by Xbox owner Microsoft.
It was announced this week thatMicrosoftintends topurchase Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal– the game industry’sbiggest ever by some distance.
Giving Microsoft exclusive ownership of franchisesincluding Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot and Guitar Hero, the deal is expected to be completed by June 2023.
In an employee FAQ filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission,Activisionoutlined how the transaction will impact existing partner agreements such as those withPlayStationmakerSony,GoogleandApple.
“We will honor all existing commitments post close,” it said. “As with Microsoft’s acquisition ofMinecraft, we have no intent to remove any content from platforms where it exists today.”
In its first response to Microsoft’s proposed acquisition ofActivision Blizzard,Sony said it expects games to remain multiplatformdue to existing contractual agreements.
Activision creates some of PlayStation’s most successful games in the form of the Call of Duty series. Last year, the franchise produced both the first (Vanguard) and third (Black Ops Cold War) best-selling games on PlayStation in the US, according to research firm NPD.
Microsoft reportedly plans tokeep making “some” Activision Blizzard games for PlayStationconsoles following the takeover, andXboxheadPhil Spencerhas claimed that “it’s not our intent to pull communities away from that platform”.
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It’s worth noting however that Spencer made similar comments prior the completion ofMicrosoft’s $7.5 billion takeover of Bethesda parent company Zenimaxlast year.
While previously releasedBethesdagames such as The Elder Scrolls Online continue to be supported on PlayStation platforms, and pre-existing exclusivity deals forDeathloopandGhostwire Tokyohave been honoured,Microsoft has since confirmedthat the company’s big future games such asStarfield,RedfallandThe Elder Scrolls 6will be exclusive to Xbox andPC.
A games industry analyst has saidMicrosoft could struggle to gain regulatory approvalfor its Activision Blizzard takeover should it plan to make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive.
