Microsoft says PlayStation should make an exclusive to compete with Call of Duty

Sony is hitting back at Microsoft for suggesting ten years would be enough time to develop a PlayStation exclusive to rival Call of Duty.

Microsoft’s purchase of Activision-Blizzard has divided many gamers as the company looks to take control of the Call of Duty franchise.

Amid Sony’s attempts to stop the massive $69B acquisition, Microsoft agreed to let CoD be available on PlayStation for ten years, but this isn’t good enough for the Japanese gaming behemoth.

Despite Microsoft saying that ten years would be enough time “to develop alternatives to CoD,” Sony claims that Call of Duty is simply too big and even irreplaceable.

Sony says it’s impossible to replace Call of Duty on PlayStation

As reported by VGC, Microsoft told UK’s Competition and Markets Authority that it considers “that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to CoD.”

However, Sony denies this and claims that CoD is an “essential game” with “no rival” and the only gaming IP to break into the top 10 entertainment brands.

In response to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense, Sony cited a 2019 study that claimed CoD’s importance to entertainment is “indescribable” and influences users’ choice of console.

It’s just the latest ripple in the ongoing console wars as Microsoft looks to edge out Sony going into the next generation. Whether or not CoD will be on the table, however, remains to be seen.