With the first day of a week of court proceedings in the ongoing battle between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over Microsoft’s attempts to acquire Activision Blizzard done and dusted, we’re being treated not only to some interesting revelations around the internal workings of some of Xbox’s acquisitions, but some incredibly interesting remarks from both sides.
One of the more interesting claims from the Microsoft camp comes by way of its discussions around Call of Duty exclusivity, and its ongoing promises to keep the franchise multiplatform, including releasing on PlayStation consoles, for 10 years. The company released documents as part of the hearing process that emphasise the fact that a 10-year agreement would mean Call of Duty games would see a release on whatever console PlayStation launches as a successor to the PlayStation 5, a response to a concern that Sony had brought up in the early days of this whole acquisition drama.
Where it gets interesting is that the published statement, below and shared by IGN, reveals that Microsoft is confident of this 10-year timeframe given that it expects the next generation of consoles to arrive in 2028.
“This term would in any case go beyond the expected starting period of the next generation of consoles (in 2028),” Microsoft claims. “Thus, Call of Duty will be published on successor PlayStation consoles should one be released during the term of the agreement. The agreement also would ensure that Call of Duty console games are offered on PlayStation at parity with Xbox.”
A 2028 launch for the next generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles would mean up to an eight-year gap between generations, slightly longer than the transition from PS4/Xbox One to PS5/Xbox Series and about the same as the gap between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Presumably, with a wait that long, a mid-generation hardware refresh is inevitable.
There’s plenty more already to come out of just the first day of this head-to-head between Microsoft and the FTC, including Microsoft’s admission to having lost the supposed “console wars” as well as confirmation that MachineGames’ Indiana Jones title will be exclusive to Xbox and PC, and is coming to Game Pass on day one.
