Xbox Call Of Duty buyout will end console exclusive DLC says Spencer

To push through the Activision Blizzard acquisition and gain approval from regulators, Microsoft has gone to great lengths to assure them that the deal will benefit all gamers, not just Xbox and PC owners.

Call Of Duty has clearly been the biggest sticking point, with Microsoft constantly reiterating how it wants to bring the franchise to platforms other than Xbox, even signing contracts with Nintendo and Nvidia to do so.

Even if this happens, Microsoft may still give Call Of Duty players exclusive Xbox content or release DLC before the PlayStation. Except that Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now emphatically ruled that out.

The current marketing agreement between Sony and Activision, which expires in a few years, has enabled PlayStation owners to enjoy some benefits when it comes to Call Of Duty, such as early access to the beta sessions. A similar deal existed with Microsoft in the Xbox 360 era.

However, Spencer claims that Microsoft has no interest in such exclusivity bonuses now, as the goal is to ensure that everyone can enjoy the exact same game and not worry about playing a “lesser” version on their non-Xbox games. platform.

In an interview with Xbox On, when asked if Xbox players could see exclusive Call Of Duty content, Spencer immediately replied with a blunt “No.”

While acknowledging that platform-exclusive content is a big part of the industry (which even highlights that Hogwarts Legacy has a PlayStation-only quest), Spencer adds, “That’s not the game we’re trying to play here.

“It’s not about skin on a gun. It’s not about any particular kind of mode for the game. The same version of the game will be available on all platforms, and that’s really what we’re doing today.”

He goes on to point out that Minecraft is the same game across all platforms as well as the Minecraft Dungeons spin-off and the upcoming Minecraft Legends.

Taken at face value, this is undeniably a good thing. Platform-exclusive content has long been a bone of contention, and something Sony has certainly drawn criticism for.

Aside from the Hogwarts Legacy example, Square Enix’s Avengers game was criticized for making Spider-Man a PlayStation-only character, with neither the Xbox nor PC version getting their own exclusive character.

Microsoft has gone to an increasingly desperate effort to downplay the importance of Call Of Duty within the industry. However, when the UK Competition and Markets Authority proposed to buy Activision, but not Call Of Duty, Microsoft rejected the idea entirely.

It’s very likely that the acquisition will be approved without some major concessions, but if Microsoft is really upfront about its goals of making Activision’s games more widely available and not preserving the content, it’s hard to see what the company is up to. really from the purchase outside of another profitable studio.

When Sony acquired Bungie with the caveat of not making its titles exclusive, it at least justified that by saying Bungie will help Sony with its live service plans.

Microsoft has said nothing similar about Activision Blizzard and their studios, even thinking they would undoubtedly be useful in a number of areas.