Redmond reiterates that popular Activision Blizzard games, especially major franchises, will not be exclusive to a single ecosystem.

Since the major announcement that Microsoft will be acquiring Activision Blizzard — lock, stock, and barrel — there have been rumblings of concerns. Specifically, from gamers, game developers, and regulators — both government and industry-focused. The one main concern: Various global game franchises will be exclusive to one ecosystem — namely Microsoft Xbox.

For Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming, that will never be the case. According to his latest blogpost, he reaffirms that Microsoft will deliver on its promise to not muscle out the competition. This includes ensuring all major game franchises for Activision Blizzard games are playable on competing console hardware.

That is one of the main points he is driving at from all that fluff.

“As we’ve said before, we are committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on (Sony) PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere. We will continue to enable people to play with each other across platforms and across devices,” he wrote.

Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022

He understands how players benefit from having no hardware exclusivity arrangement. In fact, Minecraft continues to be available on multiple platforms and is now playable on newer systems as well. That will be the case for Activision Blizzard games once the merger receives full approval and completes all regulatory requirements.

“As we extend our gaming storefront across new devices and platforms, we (continue to enable) developers to choose how they distribute their games,” he added.

Part of the ongoing effort includes continuously engaging with regulators to ensure there is maximum transparency. Spencer even shared how Microsoft welcomes hard questions in regard to the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

He even noted how Sony and Tencent are also making similar purchases to expand their respective libraries of game titles. While odd, by reminding the world that everyone is doing the same thing shows how such activities are the norm now.

Would these points influence regulators? For Spencer and his team, one can only hope. Gamers, meanwhile, can only wait to see how this ongoing videogames industry drama plays out.