Xbox's Phil Spencer Vows To Keep 'Call Of Duty' On PlayStation: 'I Will Do Whatever It Takes'

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)'s commitment to keeping "Call of Duty" available on PlayStation consoles, even after its potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ: ATVI), was reaffirmed by Xbox boss Phil Spencer during the ongoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) trial.

In court on the trial's second day, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley reminded Spencer of his oath and questioned whether Microsoft would continue releasing "Call of Duty" on Sony Group Corp's (NYSE: SONY) PlayStation platforms.

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"I would raise my hand. I will do whatever it takes," he said in court, according to IGN. "We have no plan. I'm making a commitment standing here that we will not pull Call of Duty - it is my testimony - from PlayStation."

Spencer added: "As you said, Sony obviously has to allow us to ship the game on their platform. But absent any of that, my commitment is, and my testimony is, that we will continue to ship future versions of Call of Duty on Sony's PlayStation 5."

Spencer's recent statement aligns with his previous remarks regarding Call of Duty's availability on PlayStation consoles. Last year, he assured fans that the game would continue to be released on PlayStation systems "as long as there is a PlayStation to ship to."

Moreover, a private email from PlayStation boss Jim Ryan recently disclosed in court, said he didn't believe the deal was intended to make "Call of Duty" an Xbox exclusive and that Microsoft was "thinking bigger" than that. The email sent to Chris Deering, the former president of PlayStation Europe, two days after the deal was announced in January 2022, contradicts Sony's public arguments against Microsoft's bid.

For more than a year, Microsoft has been grappling with challenges in finalizing its merger with Activision Blizzard, encountering obstacles from both the FTC and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The deadline for the conclusion of the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger is set for July 18, 2023. Should the deal remain unresolved by this date, the parties involved will be obligated to enter renegotiations.

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Image credits: Miguel Lagoa on Shutterstock and photo courtesy eVRydayVR on Flickr