Since Microsoft announced it is acquiring Activision in January, there have been concerns about how long the hugely popular Call of Duty franchise will remain on PlayStation. Later in January, Bloomberg reported that at least the next three Call of Duty games would be on PlayStation. Microsoft later reiterated in a blog post that it was committed to keeping the game on even beyond the existing agreement. In a recent statement to Games Industry.biz, PlayStation’s Jim Ryan has now come out to say Microsoft’s offer “was inadequate on many levels.”
“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,” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan explained to Games Industry.biz.
“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 explained. “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.”
According to Ryan’s statement, the existing agreement between PlayStation and Activision will only cover the next three Call of Duty games, including Modern Warfare II launching on October 28th.
Microsoft is yet to complete the $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Regulators are currently inspecting the deal, but it is expected to go over the line eventually.
Image: Activision
