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The purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft last week has certainly put a very expensive cat among the pigeons. The biggest concern, at least for many PlayStation players, is that Activision’s gazillion-dollar franchise Call of Duty may do the unthinkable and become a PC and Xbox exclusive series.
This concern was addressed immediately by Xbox Head of Gaming Phil Spencer, who commented that it was not Microsoft’s “intent to pull communities away from [PlayStation platforms].” This pseudo-promise appears to have been further confirmed, as a new Bloomberg report suggests that Activision and Sony have already come to terms on a short-term contract, which supposedly guarantees the next three Call of Duty releases will indeed be made available on the PlayStation platform.
‘Warzone 2’ reportedly coming in 2023
The Bloomberg report suggests that the three Call of Duty games will include this year’s entry, expected to be a new entry in the Modern Warfare sub-series; a Treyarch-produced Black Ops title in 2023, and a yet-to-be-decided third release in 2024. It should also be noted that Bloomberg’s own Jason Schreier has hinted at a revitalized edition of battle royale spin-off Call of Duty Warzone — supposedly in the works for a 2023 launch.
If all of the above is to be believed, then it seems that, for the time being, PlayStation Call of Duty fans can breathe easy in the knowledge that the popular shooter series isn’t going anywhere. It’s also more than likely that Sony will seek a contract extension when the three years are up. It will be interesting to see what happens then, or — more likely — when the tenth generation rolls around. But that’s all hypothetical. At least until 2024, it seems Call of Duty is set to stay one of gaming’s most blockbuster franchises.
