PlayStation CEO Slams Xbox's Call Of Duty Commitment As Inadequate On Many Levels

The console war goes far beyond just the gamers who hold their beloved choice of hardware dear to their hearts. Two top executives from PlayStation and Xbox are currently going head-to-head over the long-term availability of the fan favorite Call of Duty franchise, as the recent offer from Xbox is being called "inadequate."

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan recently commented that Xbox boss Phil Spencer's statement that new Call of Duty games will be available on PlayStation for "at least several more years," was simply "inadequate." This comes after Microsoft accused Sony of using "dirty tactics" to keep games off Xbox Game Pass. For two companies that seem to want their player base to get along, they are not doing a very good job of setting the example.

The apparent disagreement between the two mega powers of gaming consoles centers around Microsoft's offer to buy Call of Duty's publisher, Activision-Blizzard. The proposed deal is worth a reported $69 billion. The deal is not signed, sealed and delivered quite yet, however. It is currently being scrutinized by competitions regulators, who are worried about the possibility the deal will grant Microsoft the ability to withhold or degrade Activision Blizzard's content from other consoles or subscription services.


In regard to the offer made by Microsoft to PlayStation surrounding the availability of COD, Spencer remarked that the offer "goes far beyond typical gaming industry agreements."

In Ryan's recent statement on GamesIndustry.biz, he stated, "I hadn't intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum."

Spencer made the announcement recently that future Call of Duty entries will join Xbox Game Pass but will also launch on PlayStation on the same day. Ryan is probably wanting to make it clear, that while that may be true for the next few releases, that may not be the case for those following.

"Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends," Ryan remarked. "After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft's proposal undermines this principle."

As gamers, we can only hope that the CEOs making these types of decisions will put us first, and in doing so allow gamers to decide which console they want to play on based on its performance and preference. One can hope, anyway.