Navigating Call of Duty's Future: PlayStation and Xbox Need It

Earlier this week, the global gaming community was abuzz with Sony's apprehension about Microsoft owning Call of Duty, a move that could potentially alter consumers' console preferences. Sony's expression of concern wasn't just for show; it stemmed from genuine fear and anxiety. Among all game publishers or hardware manufacturers, Sony is the only one openly hoping for the collapse of the Activision Blizzard deal.

But to see the full picture, let's rewind two weeks. Guerrilla, the renowned creator of the Horizon series, announced on Twitter that all Killzone servers would be shutting down. This means Sony is putting an end to all efforts to nurture what was once dubbed the Halo Killer. If Halo thrives, those aiming to surpass it falter.

What does this signify? It suggests Sony failed to create a quality FPS game series. Is Killzone really that bad? The writer himself doesn't find the series terrible, having played all the versions, even on the PS Vita. However, Killzone seems to have been born with the goal of defeating its rivals rather than asserting its own value. The game is mediocre, neither bad nor great. It lacks the surprises and prestige that Halo brings. Because Halo is the FPS series on consoles that leaves people in awe and keeps them hooked day and night.

It's truly embarrassing for Sony that none of the Killzone editions sold as many copies as the lowest-selling Halo edition. Halo Wars, a sideline game in the Halo series, with its highly selective RTS gameplay, still managed to sell 2.2 million copies. Meanwhile, Killzone: Shadow Fall, the best-selling game in the Killzone series, only reached 2.1 million copies. The numbers speak volumes; PlayStation has never reached the FPS level that Xbox has.

It's not without reason that Guerrilla had to end the Killzone series in disappointment and switch to making Horizon according to Sony's wishes. And ironically, they found success with the same old formula, the third-person perspective game.

This suggests that Sony knows FPS is Xbox's biggest strength, and they want PlayStation to have FPS power. And while the homegrown games failed, the direction was to look towards third parties. Call of Duty is the tool for them to shift the balance. They've spent tons of money persuading Activision to release Call of Duty to them with exclusive content lasting up to a year and other perks only available to PlayStation 4 players. Gradually, when thinking of Call of Duty, the first name that comes to mind is PlayStation 4. Microsoft couldn't do anything as Xbox One shot itself in the foot and gradually weakened. At this very moment, Halo is also declining with the controversial Halo 5 edition.

However, that's the good part because it's precisely because of this that Sony thought they were regaining the initiative, but they are the most fragile when they let dependence be the measure of success. They thought they were the market leader and couldn't even contemplate Microsoft's crazy move of spending $69 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard. Yes, Microsoft has gone ten steps ahead of Sony, not just one. Phil said their gaming competitor is Apple or Google, conglomerates with market caps of up to $2 trillion, not Sony with a market cap of just under $150 billion. Phil hasn't seen Sony as his rival for a long time.

And with the Activision Blizzard deal likely to succeed up to 90%, what will become of Call of Duty on PlayStation? Phil stated that Call of Duty will still be cross-platform, but the crucial question here is: will PS gamers receive the full version of Call of Duty? And once Call of Duty becomes a DAY 1 GAMEPASS title, what madness will unfold? Personally, I believe that if the deal succeeds, Call of Duty will remain cross-platform, but PS gamers will only get to play Warzone, while all singleplayer or even multiplayer versions will be exclusive to Xbox and PC. We've seen this move with Halo Infinite, where multiplayer is free and the campaign is sold separately. Xbox wants to break down games and create a new style of game distribution to build GamePass without stepping on each other's toes.

Looking at Sony's recent acquisition of Bungie, the creator of Halo, it's not difficult to see that they are desperate to avoid dependence on the FPS genre. With Xbox already dominating FPS, PlayStation doesn't stand a chance. Xbox might be weak in story-driven, third-person games, but in the FPS domain, their dominance will continue, at least as long as Phil remains the head of Xbox. Xbox gamers have both Halo and Call of Duty, right? It's not hard to imagine casual gamers, who don't care about PlayStation or Xbox, choosing their platform based on that one game priced at $1 on GamePass.

Microsoft has the money to play the long game, and Phil isn't the Mr. Nice Guy many in the gaming industry think he is. Xbox revenue increased from $13 billion to $16 billion in 2021-2022, while PlayStation decreased from $22 billion to $20 billion during the same period. If the Activision Blizzard deal goes through, what will those numbers look like? Could Xbox possibly claim the top spot? Time will tell, but at least for now, Sony is the most concerned party if the Activision Blizzard deal succeeds.