PlayStation’s Call of Duty deal extension may only last three years

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has revealed that Xbox offered to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation for only three additional years after existing deals expire. However, Ryan isn’t keen on the terms. In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, he says, “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.” He continues, “We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.” Ryan explains that while this is a matter of private business, he elected to bring the discussion up publicly as a result of Microsoft announcing that it reached out to Sony with an agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard faced some additional scrutiny last week due to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority saying that the merger could affect competition. Xbox’s Phil Spencer responded by saying that franchises like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft would be added to Xbox Game Pass and also that juggernaut franchises like Call of Duty would remain multiplatform. PlayStation’s deal with Call of Duty reportedly covers the next three releases, which also includes this year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Ryan’s statement indicates that the franchise could be removed from PlayStation platforms within the next few years and become exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem eventually. After Fortnite unleashed a flood of crossovers into the gaming world, there’s almost nothing that’s off the table anymore. Call of Duty getting a Nicki Minaj operator, for example, would likely never have happened 10 years ago, and yet here we are. The rapper/singer is often called the Queen of Rap, but she’s expanded her talents to dolphin-diving and no-scoping noobs on the battlefield. If you want to strut your stuff as Minaj in your next match, complete with her own set of pink weapons and vehicle skin, there are a few bits of information you need to know before loading up your next game.
Can you play as Nicki Minaj in Call of Duty?
Nicki Minaj was introduced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone on August 24, 2023, as part of Season 5 alongside Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage. They were all purchasable in the in-game store for 2,400 CoD Points. Minaj’s bundle was titled the Tracer Pack and included her skin, blueprints for her battle rifle and shotgun, a finishing move, vehicle skin, weapon charm, loading screen, emblem, and sticker. Unfortunately, the Tracer Pack bundle was completely removed from the store as of around six months ago. There’s no firm reason as to why her skin was removed or if the developers intend to bring her back. While it is possible her skin will be put back into the shop, it is too hard to say if or when that will ever happen due to the unclear nature of why it was removed in the first place. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the latest addition to the award-winning franchise that most of us have been playing for well over a decade. Beyond the enhanced graphics, refined mechanics, and new gameplay features, one of the biggest draws to the COD world has always been online multiplayer. Not only does multiplayer return for MW3, but there’s more to love about the competitive space than ever before.  But not everyone owns the same version of Call of Duty. Some of us are playing on our next-gen consoles, while others are rocking gaming PCs. So what does this mean when it comes time to join others online? Does MW3 support cross-platform gameplay? The answer is a bit more complex, but here’s all the facts.
Does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 have cross-platform support? One year ago, I took my first step into virtual reality with the PlayStation VR2. One year later, I haven’t walked much further. I spent a long time watching the VR sect of the gaming medium from the sidelines, curious about this new form of interaction, but never taking the full plunge. Impressed with the PSVR2’s specs and confident in Sony’s first-party capabilities, I bought it at launch in February 2022. After a week of use, I wrote that I “anticipate it’ll be a very supplemental gaming style for me in the future, not something I’ll want to do for hours every day.” Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.