PlayStation could lose Call of Duty after 2023

Sony has revealed that the last Call of Duty title guaranteed to come to PlayStation is the game coming in 2023, as this is the last one covered under the contract.

29th Jun 2023 11:15

Images via Activision

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Call of Duty is one of the biggest gaming franchises on the planet, with every title selling millions of copies and countless players hopping onto Warzone 2 daily.

As a result, the new entries in the series are available on both PlayStation and Xbox, but Microsoft's ongoing attempts to acquire Activision have called into question whether that will always be the case.

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claims he will do everything he can to keep Call of Duty on all platforms if the Xbox overlord gets its hands on the franchise, which is good news considering Sony claims it can't survive without the CoDverse.

However, PlayStation's CEO Jim Ryan has revealed that Call of Duty 2023 is the last game under the contract that's guaranteed to come to PlayStation. 

Call of Duty 2023 is the last game guaranteed for PlayStation

Warzone 2 loadout

In a letter obtained by The Verge that's part of the Microsoft-FTC court case, Jim Ryan revealed how many Call of Duty games contracted to come to PlayStation. This came alongside an accidental confirmation of exactly how much the franchise makes Sony each year.

Although it was publicly known that Activision's contract with PlayStation only lasts until 2024, it was assumed this would include two more titles. It now seems that the contract only involves one more instalment in Call of Duty 2023, which is assumed to be Modern Warfare 3.

"[T]he last game covered by the contract is a Call of Duty title to be released in late 2023," said Ryan in a letter that someone failed to redact properly.

Will Call of Duty remain on PlayStation in the future?

Warzone 2 PlayStation

This news will likely leave alarm bells ringing in a lot of Call of Duty fans who are in the PlayStation camp, but it's very unlikely that the franchise will become an Xbox exclusive.

A huge proportion of the CoD audience is on PlayStation, and not only that, Spencer has promised Microsft has no plans to remove the games from Sony's console if it acquires Activision. Then again, there were rumbles of grand Call of Duty plans for Game Pass.

Of course, it's always possible Microsoft could pivot on this decision after it's sailed through. Still, it seems extremely unlikely, so expect Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for the foreseeable future.

Alex Garton

About The Author

Alex Garton

Alex is a Senior Writer at GGRecon. With a BA (Hons) in English, he has previously written for Dexerto & Gfinity. Specialising in Call of Duty & Apex Legends, he loves (attempting) to improve his aim in competitive shooters and will always make time for a single-player RPG.

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