Microsoft Sony Activision Blizzard Games

God, we're never going to hear the end of this are we? In a new official blog post, Microsoft has outlined its "Open App Store Principles", and it's...well, it's a really boring read, so we'll just skip to the part that mentions Sony and PlayStation.

It states: "First, some commentators have asked whether we will continue to make popular content like Activision’s Call of Duty available on competing platforms like Sony’s PlayStation. The obvious concern is that Microsoft could make this title available exclusively on the Xbox console, undermining opportunities for Sony PlayStation users." Yep, this has been the big talking point ever since Microsoft announced its plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68 billion.

It continues: "To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision." Again, nothing new here — Microsoft and Xbox have already pointed out that games currently planned for PlayStation platforms won't be taken away.

But what about everything after that? Well, up until now, Microsoft has been pretty wishy-washy about the whole thing. Xbox boss Phil Spencer expressed a "desire" to include PlayStation going forward — but who knows what the future might bring...

Which leads us to this part of the blog post: "We have committed to Sony that we will also make [Activision Blizzard games] available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love [...] We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our business."

So, Microsoft is saying that it's committed to keeping Activision Blizzard's output on PlayStation. It's the most dedicated wording that we've seen from the tech giant so far, although, again, it's impossible to say whether this stance could change years down the line. We'll obviously have to wait and see.

And that's about it. Microsoft has covered this topic multiple times now, but as always, the proof will be in the pudding. Do you think Activision Blizzard games will remain on PlayStation forever more? Or are you sceptical? Blah blah blah yourself in the comments section below.

[source blogs.microsoft.com]