Jim Ryan sheds light on the Call of Duty deal with Microsoft, confirms initial reluctance

Jim Ryan, set to retire in March 2024 after nearly 30 years at Sony, recently, at length, talked about the various aspects of the PlayStation console, including the ups and downs. He also shared what went on behind the scenes regarding Sony’s Call of Duty deal with Microsoft.

For the unversed, after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, the studio behind Call of Duty, there were talks of the game being discontinued on PlayStation. Later, Sony and Microsoft confirmed that Call of Duty would be available on PlayStation consoles for another 10 years.

The Call of Duty deal didn’t go through immediately

In the interview with CNBC, Jim Ryan, when pressed about Sony’s initial reluctance and what took so long for the deal to be sealed, said,

You know what? We’re at risk of getting very granular here, but there are deals and deals. And, you know, the deal that was offered at a certain point in time may not have been the deal that was actually signed.

While Ryan didn’t share the terms of the new deal, it was evident that the updated terms were better aligned with Sony’s goals, given the excitement on their part.

We were absolutely thrilled to be able to negotiate a deal with Microsoft to ensure that that franchise remains on PlayStation platforms for the next ten years, and that was very important to us, and we’re very happy to have done that deal.

When enquired about Sony’s skepticism of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, especially when the company itself made similar deals in the past to have PlayStation-exclusive games, Ryan said,

The reason that we felt this one was different to anything that had happened in the past was the sheer size and importance of the Call of Duty franchise.

The last few years have witnessed tremendous activity in the gaming industry, acquisitions, deals, and more.

However, things haven’t been too positive in recent weeks, with Sony firing 900 employees and EA letting go of 5% workforce. Smaller studios are also downsizing the headcount, with Radical Forge releasing 6 employees.

What’s your take on the Sony-Microsoft Call of Duty deal? Share with our readers in the comments section.