PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan claps Xbox's Phil Spencer back over CoD

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has responded to Xbox chief Phil Spencer over the Call of Duty deal that would see Sony consoles, like the PS5 and PS4, entitled only to the next three entries in Activision Blizzard's franchise.

Jim Ryan, the CEO of PlayStation, called Xbox's Call of Duty deal with Sony "inadequate on many levels" in proportion to the 20 years partnership the Activision Blizzard franchise has shared with consoles like the PS5, PS4, and PS3. Ryan also called out Xbox chief Phil Spencer and stated he was having to "set the record straight" after Spencer apparently broke an unspoken agreement between the two companies.

The battle for CoD heats up.

PlayStation unhappy with terms of Xbox-Call of Duty agreement

Ryan's comments were made in a statement to gamesindustry.biz, and were apparently spurred on by Spencer's comments having "brought this [deal] into the public forum." Ryan went on to express how "inadequate" he found the Call of Duty deal from Microsoft:

"Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle."

Spencer's comments come at the behest of several promises to Sony that Call of Duty would stay with PlayStation even if (or when) Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard King finalises and the Call of Duty series becomes a Microsoft-owned IP. The deal struck with Sony certainly seemed a little token on Microsoft's part, seemingly made in order to appease investigating bodies like the UK competition regulator, who recently raised concerns regarding the damage Call of Duty exclusivity going to Xbox might do to PlayStation's sales — particularly on the lead-up to the next console generation.

Any opportunity we can to have Kratos yelling at Xbox clouds.

Meanwhile, Ryan's latest comments continue to push Sony's narrative that Call of Duty is too big for Microsoft to own — a weak argument that Microsoft and ourselves here at TT have already dismissed (albeit, for differing reasons). Still, the comments from Ryan and Spencer are both very funny and fairly telling of Sony and Microsoft's relationship at present, with both brand ambassadors leaning into the press to speak on behalf of the other's business affairs.

Let us know in the comment your thoughts on Ryan's comments, whether you think Spencer has been out of line here, and what it's like to be a Call of Duty player caught in the midst of all this.

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Written by Lee Brady

Staff Writer Lee loves to write about classic PS1 games on PS Plus and examining the game design of upcoming PS5 games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy XVI. He's a big proponent of video games as an evolving artistic medium, though his love of Sonic games somewhat undermines the purity of his intentions.