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Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer wants Call of Duty to mirror Minecraft in terms of platform availability, and he specifically likes the idea of bringing the prolific FPS series to Nintendo Switch.
As Tom Warren of The Verge reports, Spencer touched on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard while speaking at WSJ Tech Live 2022 (opens in new tab). If the deal notches the approval from regulators, it would make Microsoft the sole owner of the Call of Duty franchise, which would pave the way for Call of Duty to become exclusive to Xbox. However, Spencer once again reassured that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation and went a step further to say he hopes to bring it to other platforms, specifically mobile.
“This opportunity is really about mobile for us. When you think about 3 billion people playing video games, there’s only about 200 million households on console.” 2/2October 26, 2022
“Call of Duty specifically will be available on PlayStation,” Spencer said. “I’d love to see it on the Switch, I’d love to see the game playable on many different screens. Our intent is to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft.” For reference, Minecraft is available on just about every platform you can think of despite being a Microsoft-owned IP. Spencer seems to be suggesting that Call of Duty could follow a similar route and eventually become available on a multitude of platforms.
“This opportunity is really about mobile for us,” he added. “When you think about 3 billion people playing video games, there’s only about 200 million households on console.”
Sony’s Jim Ryan recently skewered Xbox’s offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years after Sony’s existing agreement with Activision Blizzard ends, calling the deal “inadequate on many levels.” Spencer has repeatedly said Call of Duty will eventually land on Game Pass and that it’ll launch on PlayStation on the same day. Notably though, Xbox has yet to confirm exactly how long it plans to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.
Spencer also suggested Xbox Series X/S and/or Game Pass price increases are inevitable.
