Sony wants Microsoft to ensure that Call of Duty stays across platforms

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Japanese technology giant Sony, which saw its stock tanked after Microsoft acquired gaming company Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, on Thursday said it expects Satya Nadella-run tech giant to ensure that games like Call of Duty (CoD) remain available across platforms including its own Playstation gaming consoles.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Sony Group said: “that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform.”

Call of Duty (CoD) is hugely popular across Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation gaming consoles.

Sony has a CoD deal in place with Activision for more than five years.

“PlayStation is the new home of Call of Duty,” former PlayStation CEO Andrew House had said during Sony’s E3 press briefing.

According to Sony, ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ was the second-most played PS5 game for 2021 in November, behind Fortnite.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has said that Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and “we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward”.

Shares of Sony slumped in Tokyo trade after Microsoft had shared earlier this week that it is acquiring Activision Blizzard.

Sony’s market value dropped $20 billion in a single day after its shares lost almost 13 per cent in Tokyo.

Microsoft’s acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion is yet another play by the tech giant to secure its stake in the nascent Metaverse and bring more intellectual property (IP) under the Xbox and Game Pass umbrella.

–IANS

na/sks