Call of Duty is one of the oldest and most popular first-person shooters out there and is available on nearly every platform. However, this may come into question with Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard and fans wondering if Call of Duty will become an Xbox exclusive.
The answer is most likely no. In Microsoft's press release, they state, "Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms, and we plan to continue to support those communities moving forward." Keep in mind that the acquisition won't be finalized until 2023, so it won't be for a while, even if this happens.
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A similar question was posed and answered with Bethesda's Starfield. After the acquisition of Bethesda by Microsoft, the company confirmed that Starfield will be an Xbox exclusive and will not launch for the PlayStation.
However, these are apples and oranges as CoD is a multiplayer game and Starfield is a single-player game. Call of Duty has significant sales on all platforms and a longstanding community, so it would not financially make sense to make it an exclusive.
This is all speculation until more information is revealed, but should Call of Duty become an Xbox exclusive, it could be a huge blow to the community. Only time will tell, but for now, it seems that Microsoft does not plan to make it an exclusive. We will update this with more information when it becomes available!
Announcements of Microsoft's planned acquisition of Blizzard and Activision came on Jan. 18, 2022, when Microsoft's CEO Phil Spencer released a statement. It details how the company plans to incorporate the games of Blizzard and Activision into their own. The acquisition is estimated to be completed sometime in 2023.
This reveal also comes close to the numerous scandals, accusations, and lawsuits that Activision/Blizzard has received. Therefore, another part of this acquisition is also to restore the company's names and deal with the various issues within the company head on.
For more information on Call of Duty, check out Where is Von List’s Office in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies and How to play Void Objective in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies on Pro Game Guides.
Justin has been diving into fantasy worlds since he can remember. He is a certified nerd who has a deep love of reading, writing, and hiking. He has been writing since his college days, but specifically in gaming for two years. His favorite games are The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Hollow Knight, Celeste, and Banjo Kazooie.