Microsoft criticised for celebrating Call of Duty deal early
Microsoft has jumped the gun with its pointed advertising and has been criticised by players for claiming that it already owns Call of Duty.
14th Apr 2023 09:13
Infinity Ward
Microsoft criticised for celebrating Call of Duty deal early
Microsoft has jumped the gun with its pointed advertising and has been criticised by players for claiming that it already owns Call of Duty.
14th Apr 2023 09:13
Infinity Ward
The ongoing Activision Blizzard drama has been going on for some time, and at this stage, we just want it all to be over.
Microsoft's attempts to snatch up the Call of Duty franchise have been massively controversial in the industry, with Sony leading the charge to keep it from happening. Even as gamers themselves get involved on the legal front, it looks like the battle is about to reach its climax.
The important thing to remember is that it isn't actually over yet, as Microsoft hasn't yet lured CoD to the green camp. It's a notice that Xbox clearly hasn't read.
Xbox is celebrating owning Call of Duty. They don't own Call of Duty
Xbox received backlash when it pulled out a two-page ad in UK newspapers, hammering home its commitments to bring Call of Duty to the people. It hasn't sank in, as Phil Spencer continued the marketing assault.
Microsoft is already celebrating the win it hasn't earned yet, as its taking out electronic ads in some London tube stations. The posters claim the gaming giant is bringing "Call of Duty for more than 150 million players," before showing off images of the series' iconography across PC, Xbox and Cloud.
Even as the deal nears completion and looks like it'll go through, there are criticisms that we're definitely jumping the gun a bit. Microsoft technically can't actually make that promise just yet, meaning fans aren't exactly happy about it.
Fans react to Microsoft's Call of Duty boasts
Games have taken to the replies of the Tom Warren tweet that showed them this new ad, and many of them are pretty confused. One grumbled, "I love the smell of hubris in the afternoon," while another added, "This is the most Xbox advertising the UK has probably seen since the Xbox 360 lol."
As someone concluded, "If only they marketed their games as much as their acquisitions," it raised the complaint that Microsoft is neglecting its first-party games where Sony is excelling with the likes of God of War and Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
Although it's bit big-headed of Xbox, what are you going to do about it? We edge closer to Call of Duty being an Xbox-exclusive series every day, but maybe, keep the boasting until after you've actually got the series in your wheelhouse.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
