Aside from vowing to not make Call Of Duty an Xbox-only series, Microsoft says it has no interest in adding exclusive content to the games.
In order to help push its acquisition of Activision Blizzard through and receive approval by regulators, Microsoft has been doing all it can to assure them that the deal will benefit all gamers, not just Xbox and PC owners.
Call Of Duty has obviously been the biggest sticking point, with Microsoft constantly reiterating how it wants to bring the franchise to other platforms besides Xbox, even signing contracts with Nintendo and Nvidia to do so.
Even if this does happen though, Microsoft could still give Call Of Duty players Xbox exclusive content or release DLC before the PlayStation. Except Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now emphatically ruled that out.
The current marketing deal, due to run out in a few years, between Sony and Activision has allowed PlayStation owners to enjoy some advantages when it comes to Call Of Duty, such as early access to the beta sessions. A similar deal existed with Microsoft in the Xbox 360 era.
Spencer, however, claims that Microsoft now has no interest in any such exclusivity bonuses, since the goal is to ensure everyone can enjoy the exact same game and not worry about playing a ‘lesser’ version on their non-Xbox platform.
In an interview with Xbox On, upon being asked if Xbox players could see any exclusive Call Of Duty content, Spencer immediately answers with a blunt ‘Nope.’
While he acknowledges that platform exclusive content is a big part of the industry (even highlighting how Hogwarts Legacy has a PlayStation-only quest), Spencer adds ‘That’s not the game we’re trying to play here.
‘It’s not about a skin on a gun. It’s not about a certain kind of mode for the game. The same version of the game will be available on all platforms, which is really what we do today.’
He goes on to point out that Minecraft is the same game across all platforms, as well as the Minecraft Dungeons spin-off and the upcoming Minecraft Legends.
Taken at face value, this is undeniably a good thing. Platform exclusive content has long been a point of contention and something that Sony has certainly drawn criticism over.
Aside from the Hogwarts Legacy example, Square Enix’s Avengers game was lambasted for making Spider-Man a PlayStation-only character, with neither the Xbox or PC versions receiving their own exclusive character.
Microsoft has gone to increasingly desperate lengths to try and downplay Call Of Duty’s importance within the industry. However, when the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority suggested it could buy Activision but not Call Of Duty, Microsoft rejected the idea completely.
It’s very likely that the acquisition will be approved without some major concessions, but if Microsoft is being truly forthcoming about its goals to make Activision’s games more widely available and not gatekeep its content, it’s hard to see what the company is really getting out of the purchase beyond another profitable studio.
At least when Sony acquired Bungie with the caveat of not making its titles exclusive, it justified it by saying that Bungie will be assisting Sony with its live service plans.
Microsoft has said nothing similar about Activision Blizzard and their studios, even thought they would no doubt be helpful in a number of areas.
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