Sony’s Call of Duty PS5, PS4 marketing deal with Activision Blizzard reportedly lasts for the next three games. That’s according to known insider Tom Henderson, who claims that the current agreement covers Modern Warfare 2, Warzone 2, and Treyarch’s next game.
Microsoft is obligated to honor existing Call of Duty PS5, PS4 deal
Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, many assumed that Call of Duty games would either become exclusive to Xbox and PC platforms, or they’ll land day-one on Xbox Game Pass. However, regardless of when the acquisition closes, Microsoft is obligated to honor Activision Blizzard’s existing agreements, and that includes Sony’s marketing and exclusive content deal. Exclusive content includes access to initial beta tests, DLC, etc.
Sony’s deal lasts for the next 3 games I believe.
MWII, Warzone 2, and Treyarch’s game. So if Microsoft obligates Sony’s existing deal, which they have said they will, nothing should change until CoD 2025/2026 (depending on when that releases). https://t.co/DqMJ1aKJW7
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) May 26, 2022
Don’t expect to see Call of Duty on Game Pass until Sony’s deal with Activision Blizzard expires.
As far as platforms are concerned, we expect this year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to be a cross-gen game but beyond that, the series is likely to skip last-gen consoles. As it stands, Call of Duty is struggling on PS4 and Xbox One due to its install size and the consoles’ dated hardware so Microsoft will probably want to pull the plug on those.
Previous rumors suggest that Call of Duty will no longer be an annual release going forward, especially since Activision Blizzard has Warzone as an ongoing title. Considering this, it’s hard to say what year Sony’s marketing deal will come to an end.
In other news, it looks like PSP’s Resistance Retribution is headed to PS Plus classics, and more PlayStation exclusives are getting the television and film treatment.
