The acquisition of Activision by Microsoft has raised a lot of worries about what games, if any, will still be available on PlayStation platforms. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick recently stated that the company's games would be available on "as many devices as feasible," although this was not confirmed. This includes at least the next three Call of Duty games, according to a recent report.
According to Bloomberg, Activision had already committed to releasing the next three Call of Duty games on PlayStation systems before the arrangement was made public. This includes the Call of Duty games in 2022 and 2023, as well as Warzone 2, which is set to release in 2023. Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 is rumoured to be the Call of Duty in 2022. Treyarch is rumoured to be working on the core title for 2023. The deal is also projected to finalise within the next six to 18 months, which is why this article primarily looks at the short-term entries.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently stated that the company's "commitment to follow all current agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and [their] want to preserve Call of Duty on PlayStation" was one of his top priorities. The tweet, though, was imprecise enough to allow for some interpretation. This study provides additional background to the tweet in question.
However, it is unknown how Microsoft will act following the release of the third Call of Duty game, as it would probably have complete control over the series going forward. Activision is said to be considering skipping annualised Call of Duty titles, which is another another factor that could play a part in the franchise's future, or lack thereof, on Sony's systems.
As seen by the Bethesda acquisition, Microsoft has already met past obligations. Deathloop was released on PlayStation 5 (and PC), and Ghostwire: Tokyo is set to be released on PlayStation 5 (and PC) in the near future. However, Bethesda's currently announced games, such as Redfall and Starfield, will not be available on PlayStation.