it’s no secret that call of duty The franchise is one of the most popular and high-profile IPs in the entire gaming industry. Establishing itself as one of the most played first-person shooters over the course of nearly two decades, cod Online consoles have been a mainstay of the experience for some time now.
This long console’s appearance call of duty That was recently brought into question by Microsoft thanks to its extremely high-profile purchase of Activision Blizzard. While both Xbox and PlayStation have been very vocal about the potential impact it may have on the franchise’s platform availability in the future, the fact remains that cod It would be extremely difficult for PlayStation to replace if it eventually lost access to the franchise.
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Microsoft Acquisition of Activision Blizzard
Microsoft has been very clear in its recent effort to expand the amount of development and publishing studios it owns. With the Xbox console losing out to a number of niche titles over the years, it’s clear that Microsoft is using its unprecedented spending power to fight back against this criticism.
Despite already owning big studios like Mojang and even Bethesda, Microsoft set an industry record in January of this year with the massive purchase of Activision Blizzard. It has been widely reported that the acquisition of Activision cost Microsoft approximately $69 billion, far exceeding the purchase prices of any previous studio acquisition that has ever been made. While the deal is not yet formally completed, it is widely expected to be finalized soon, meaning Microsoft will keep ownership of the franchise as such. Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch, and of course Call of Duty. While these games currently remain as multi-platform franchises, PlayStation in particular has voiced its concerns over the potential for losing the massive first-person shooter franchise and negative financial implications for the company.
PlayStation’s response to Activision deal
It can be said that PlayStation is Xbox’s main competitor in the gaming industry, with the two companies dominating the bulk of the console landscape. When considering this, as well as the fact call of duty One of the most popular and high-end engagement franchises in existence, many weren’t surprised that PlayStation took a very vocal stance against the Activision purchase.
PlayStation representatives have argued that call of duty A franchise that goes under the Xbox name could have serious financial implications, in that it could tempt more and more fans to switch from PlayStation to Xbox. As well as concerns about potentially losing the franchise as a whole, PlayStation also appears to be concerned with the role that Microsoft’s massively successful Xbox Game Pass service can now play in call of Dutty Future.
With existing contractual benefits to Sony call of duty The franchise is set to end in 2024, it’s more than likely cod The title will eventually become available via Xbox Game Pass as of its first day release, giving Xbox ownership a huge lucrative advantage. call of duty perspective. In response to concerns raised by Sony, Xbox head Phil Spencer wrote an open letter outlining Xbox’s plans. call of duty Going forward, emphasizing the fact that Xbox is still committed to making gaming for everyone, regardless of platform choice.
In the letter, Phil Spencer assured PlayStation that the service would essentially continue as normal for three years after the end of Sony’s current cod contract, which means things should remain more or less the same until at least 2027. That being said, there is still a concern from a PlayStation perspective as to what changes could be made after this specified date. It’s more than likely the Xbox will start receiving Game Pass presence along with exclusive benefits and expansions. call of dutyThere’s still a lot of potential that the franchise at large may not eventually appear on PlayStation as a platform.
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Why would Call of Duty for PlayStation be irreplaceable?
It’s hard to overestimate the hugely lucrative success and popularity of call of duty Voting. With its addictive online multiplayer is often complimented by interesting and unique campaigns and tertiary mode, which continues for a long time. cod The title makes for a steady stream of revenue and game traffic. For example, Activision recently reported that it has sold 25 million . sold of call of duty Copies in the same year with single franchise installments, such as black Ops It has historically sold over 30 million copies alone.
However these sales will come down as seen with the comparatively disappointing sales in the recent past. Call of Duty: Vanguard, cod As a franchise it consistently commands a large amount of player retention. This success has only recently been increased with widespread popularity. Call of Duty: Warzonewhich is a free-to-play battle royale under cod Name.
first warzone With the number of players reaching 60 million just a few months after the 2020 launch, many expected the upcoming warzone 2 There will be as much buzz about it on its November release date. While this may still be in favor of Xbox retaining its wider scope call of duty Availability for the foreseeable future, the worrying prospect of PlayStation losing out on the franchise will create a gap in revenue and console popularity that will be nearly impossible to replace given the prestige and drag of popular shooter titles.
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