Microsoft owning Call of Duty means end of its console-exclusive DLC, Xbox boss says
"That's not the game we're trying to play."
Call of Duty will no longer feature console-exclusive DLC content if it is owned by Microsoft, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said.
Speaking to Xbox On, Spencer said future versions of Activision's shooter franchise would simply aim to be "the best version of Call of Duty" on any platform, without offering extra skins or guns to Xbox players.
Of course, all of this is contingent on Microsoft completing its $68.7bn Activision Blizzard buyout - which is by no means a done deal.
Still, the end of console-exclusive content would mark the end of a very long era for Call of Duty - which has for years offered exclusive extras available first on PlayStation.
"I know this is part of the industry," Spencer said, discussing console-exclusive content. "That's not the game we're trying to play here either. It's not about a skin on a gun. It's not about a certain kind of mode of the game.
"The same version of the game will be available on all platforms, which is really what we do today. Like, if you’re a Minecraft player on PlayStation, I don't think you feel like you have the lesser version of Minecraft or Minecraft Dungeons or Legends, which is coming out when it ships. We want to make sure those players feel like they have a great experience on the platform they choose to play on."
While Microsoft has pledged to provide an equal gameplay experience on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, the elephant in the room here is that Call of Duty on Xbox will almost certainly not be an equal game paying experience. Microsoft is expected, if its deal is greenlit, to include future Call of Duty releases via Xbox Game Pass.
In this scenario, the need for console-exclusive content seems minimal when Xbox can offer a $70 game as part of its ongoing subscription.