Sony has claimed Microsoft's track record with Starfield is proof it shouldn't be trusted to keep Call of Duty multi-platform.
Microsoft has recently made sweeping commitments to put Call of Duty on more platforms should its acquisition of Activision Blizzard proceed - even signing a deal to put Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms for a decade. The company also said Call of Duty would be on the next PlayStation console, and even offered PlayStation a decade-long deal to keep the shooter series on its consoles (which Sony declined).
However, Sony is now looking to Microsoft's track record to discredit its new offers. In a recent statement to the UK government's Competition and Markets Authority agency, Sony pointed to Microsoft's past statement to the European Commission that it would "not have the incentive" to limit making Bethesda-made games available on multiple platforms.
- Phil Spencer isn't ruling out Xbox exclusives like Starfield making the jump to other platforms: "There is no reason for me to put a ring fence around any game"
- Xbox bringing its exclusives to PS5 has a precedent set by Sega, but "it makes the conversation harder to create the FOMO," says former PlayStation boss
Starfield is now obviously a console exclusive for the Xbox Series X/S, eliminating it from coming to PlayStation platforms. Sony believes Microsoft has reneged on this past statement to the European Commission by making Starfield a console exclusive for one platform, and therefore the company shouldn't be trusted to keep to its agreements regarding Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard franchises.
It's worth pointing out that Starfield was never explicitly declared a PlayStation game. There were several years in between Starfield's announcement and its grand gameplay reveal last year where news surrounding the game went quiet, and in that time Bethesda never confirmed which platforms the game would actually be coming to upon launch.
Sony believes the implication for a multi-platform PlayStation launch for Starfield was there, though, which is what their argument now hinges around. The UK's CMA hasn't given a final verdict on Microsoft's proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition yet, so it remains to be seen whether Sony's statement will have a material impact on the agency's final verdict.
Head over to our upcoming Xbox Series X games guide for a full look at all the confirmed games coming to Microsoft's console so far.
