Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation after Xbox buys Activision

Sony and Microsoft have signed a "binding agreement" to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation ecosystem following the completion of the Xbox Activision deal.

In a tweet this afternoon, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that a deal has been agreed by the two rival platform holders to keep Call of Duty cross-platform – should Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard close. 

It isn't clear at this early stage whether this is a 10-year deal to ensure Call of Duty remains widely available, similar to the one Microsoft signed with Nintendo, or something else entirely – Sony reportedly rejected such an agreement last year. This information will surely be provided in the days ahead.

Still, this is the conclusion of a bitter, months-long battle between the two companies. Call of Duty has been at the centre of Sony's concerns surrounding the merger, with the publisher arguing that the behemoth franchise being controlled by Microsoft would lessen competition within the industry. The signing of this agreement signals that the two parties have found some common ground in the days following the FTC's loss in court to block the merger. 

Microsoft president Brad Smith also commented on the agreement, taking to Twitter with the following statement: "From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers. Even after we cross the finish line for this deal’s approval, we will remain focused on ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and for more consumers than ever before."

We're still waiting on the Call of Duty 2023 release date.