PlayStation is fiercely fighting to retain the Call of Duty franchise on its consoles due to the immense financial benefits it brings. Court documents from the ongoing lawsuit between the FTC and Microsoft have revealed an email from Jim Ryan, a top executive at PlayStation, stating that the series generated $800 million in revenue in the United States alone in 2021. Although this figure may have varied in recent years, it undeniably represents a substantial amount of money.
Sony has consistently argued that it is nearly impossible to create a competitor to the massively popular first-person shooter series due to its brand recognition and widespread appeal. Given the staggering revenue numbers now made public, it’s difficult to dispute Sony’s standpoint.
Alternatively, one could argue that these impressive figures make it highly unlikely for Microsoft to remove Call of Duty from sale on PlayStation consoles. This was also the conclusion reached by the European Commission. Microsoft has committed to releasing the series on Sony systems for at least the next decade. However, the fate of the other properties owned by Activision Blizzard remains uncertain.
During a recent testimony, Jim Ryan expressed concern upon receiving an email from Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, which indicated continued support for Overwatch on PlayStation platforms but not for its successor, Overwatch 2. Ryan stated that the list provided by Spencer was not substantial and only represented a specific selection of older titles that would remain on PlayStation.