2023-07-04 19:41:00
July 4, 2023, 21:41 – Updated July 4, 2023, 21:43
Early access, exclusive content, more loading slots than other systems, the ability to disable crossplay… Sony has made sure that the image of Call of Duty is closely associated with that of PlayStation for years, and that It has been very profitable. Very much. And that, in a matter of players, is the third most played platform out of four. More specifically, the 16% of all Call of Duty players They play on Sony consoles according to Bobby Kotick’s statements.
What is this statement about? Believe it or not, we are in the middle of July and there are no signs of life (at least, officially) of the next Call of Duty, but the truth is that -once again- we find another fascinating revelation integrated into the trial of the FTC against Microsoft that puts on the table a piece of information that does not catch us by surprise, but provides a clearer vision of the whole.
The process that seemed set to unclog or completely halt Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has resulted in a veritable spectacle in which shocking revelations and half-truths have been exchanged with a nonchalance of ease. accustomed. And that Kotick, the big boss of Activision Blizzard, is an interested party in closing the purchase makes the whole be even more illustrative: mobiles move more players and Microsoft knows it.
If PlayStation, with all the hype and favorable treatment for its players, is the third gaming platform, What are the other two and in what proportion? Well, we already anticipate that Xbox is not. And yet, the spread in the number of Call of Duty players between the two consoles is not that wide either: if we add up all the players on PlayStation and Xbox, we get pretty close to the number of daily players on PC: 17.5 million. That is, 1/4 of the total.
That said, the number one platform you have in your hands right now or it’s not too far from where you are reading: half of the active players of Call of Duty daily or monthly they fire shots from mobile devices. Because Microsoft will have admitted to having lost the console war or that this is a simple social construct, but where the Activision saga triumphs the most is on iOS, Android. Technically, more than double that in Windows.
Most Call of Duty Players Play on Mobile, and Microsoft Knows It Well
Graphic by @DeekeTweak / Source Activision Blizzard
The same day that Microsoft put almost 70 billion dollars on the table to buy Activision Blizzard, the intentions were made very clear: to accelerate the growth of Microsoft’s gaming business on mobile devices, PCs, consoles and the cloud and, in the process, allowing titles like Warcraft to be enjoyed anywhere. And the one that says Warcraft also says Call of Duty.
Since those statements it has rained a lot, but the plans are still ongoing: Phil Spencer has reiterated his commitment to continue publishing Call of Duty on PlayStation (which he considers a shot in the foot) but also on Switch and the game on the NVIDIA cloud. And considering that Switch is on track to become one of the best-selling consoles in history, there is no shortage of reasons.
Different factors of the business model come into play here, of course. But in the end it all comes down to the same thing: Microsoft gives priority to having more fronts on which to place your games -or those of Activision- that turn that saga into an exclusivity.
The 11.2 million players on PlayStation are a colossal figure not so far from the 5.6 on Xbox or the 17.5 on PC, but in the end, the fact that they are committed to a cross-play model means that the player can have different elements to take into account when choosing which system to buy.
And it is there, right there, where the great Xbox battering ram appears: el Game Pass.
All games produced by Xbox Game Studios arrive at launch to the Game Pass subscription service, whether they are from Obsidian, Bethesda or the creators of Minecraft and Forza. If, in addition, we have an Ultimate subscription we can enjoy it on Xbox, PC and on mobiles. It is not that the Game Pass is something mandatory, since there is the alternative of buying traditionally. However, the only option for PlayStation is to purchase it on consoles and at an introductory price.
If Call of Duty reaches the launch Game Pass and under the same conditions as on the other platforms (without early access, exclusivities or advantages), the percentage of copies sold on PlayStation would be seriously affected. If, in addition, the shooter saga comes to Switch, it is not clear that PlayStation will retain its third position among five platforms. Although, of course, the number of active players is not what worries the most.
In any case, Microsoft assured that Sony contractually shielded that Call of Duty could not reach Game Pass.
In the end, it all stems from Jim Ryan, from Sony, fearing that the acquisition of Activision will result in as much in an exodus of fans to Xbox, with the side effects that this entails, such as a notorious loss of income derived from each copy sold or a percentage of what is spent on DLCs and other articles, passes or content. And we are talking about astronomical figures. Resources and enormous amounts that, in addition, Sony itself uses to create its own games.
However, despite the brutal income generated annually with Call of Dutywe return to that other reality, no less curious: if of the four systems that today offer the shooter, the PlayStation consoles are the third in which more is played -At least, we repeat, according to the statements of Bobby Kotick- how much can be mobilized in What if it comes to PC through Game Pass? ¿Y a Nintendo Switch? And even to any computer through a cloud service.
Given these assumptions, one more: Sony assured the CMA that “Buying Activision Blizzard would make PlayStation Plus commercially unsustainablee”.
What we do know is that the acquisition of Activision is an amazing opportunity for a Microsoft that does not give up the traditional way of offering games and consoles, but that in the process broaden your horizons. Establishing more alliances than competition in the game in the cloud and that, in addition, is more than impatient to enter the market of mobile games.
Call of Duty, the Xbox battering ram for mobile phones and Nintendo Switch. A pending issue for Sony?
In VidaExtra We’ve talked about how, with the sole exception of Nintendo, pretty much every game ends up on Steam one way or another. Those of Xbox and Electronic Arts of launch and for not too long; those of PlayStation to give them a new commercial impulse, those of Ubisoft since relatively recently. Valve’s platform was and still is transcendental for indie studios.
But Steam is not the only common denominator: it’s also Windows. There are tons of great games on MacOS and Linux, but the percentage of users (as we see and Steam and as a reference) means that the debate when playing on desktops practically does not revolve around the alternatives, but rather on the version of the Microsoft Operating System.
The current and potential reach of Xbox through Windows is colossal, since we’re talking about almost 250 million active players according to graphics offered from ID@Xbox. And what happens on mobile? According to the same source, the figure shoots up to one billion. In case of securing Call of Duty or King, the creators of Candy Crushwe can get scared.
via @@IdleSloth84_ / Source Microsoft
Is it possible to grow more? As we discussed, that has always been Microsoft’s plan and Activision Blizzard (as well as its franchises) are a key element in achieving it. This plays both ways, of course, since Microsoft’s expansion is great for both the Activision and Blizzard sagas.
In this regard, Microsoft not only plans to continue publishing Activision games on PlayStation, but also has ambitions to bring those games to GeForce Now or Nintendo Switch. And we are not going to deny it: the success of Fortnite does not lie so much in its seasons, but in how Epic has given the option of get hold of battle passes and content on all systems. The Minecraft case works the same.
From here we draw two conclusions:
Call of Duty will continue to grow on mobile, the platform where more is played, but it will double its resources. Not just with the content, but with its bespoke version of Warzone with cross-progression on consoles and PC.
Xbox is no longer a machine: It’s a way to play, and Xbox Game Studios games are and should be one of the main attractions.
So what is essential for the Microsoft and Activision model is no longer how many units of a title are sold or how many consoles there are around the world, although they are still very important, but how many active players and subscribers you can achieve. On mobile and desktop systems. Even from consoles like Nintendo Switch and PlayStation.
So, Is the number of players more important than the quality of the games? It would be unfair to say that this premise is proportional, but for practical purposes if a game is wonderful but has no active players or sells poorly, it rarely makes up for it. And despite the fact that it has been pointed out that the acquisition of Microsoft will jeopardize the quality of Activision Blizzard’s games, the truth is that even before taking that step (or not taking it) we have come across with cases like Diablo Immortal and Overwatch 2.
And be careful, that even if the purchase is not made, Activision is already fooling around with the pay to win in Call of Duty.
To what extent will it affect PlayStation if Xbox is strengthened by the acquisition of Call of Duty? Well, it is clear that FPS players on PS4, PS5 and the console that comes after they won’t notice the difference. Xbox’s Phil Spencer assures that we will see new installments as long as Sony makes consoles.
The problem for PlayStation will be when Call of Duty players have to decide whether to pay for the new game or play it through the launch Game Pass, as will happen with Forza, Starfield y Avowed. And on Xbox you have both options.
Faced with this, two solutions: either create their own game capable of mobilizing as much as Call of Duty or open the door to Game Pass on PlayStation. The third way (prevent acquisition) is already being carried out, although whether this is the best for their own players is something that will have to be demonstrated in a more detailed way.
We could talk about a fourth way that would go through launching our own games and the big bombs directly on PlayStation Plus. However, that is something Sony can’t afford it. After all, his model contemplates the purchase of specific studios and key exclusivities, but taking over entire companies is very difficult to maintain.
In conclusion, it is not necessary to be the first or the second among the five platforms on which it is played Call of Duty (being Call of Duty Mobile an independent experience) to receive a significant income with each new delivery. But not adapting to the new market models or doing it late can be very expensive for PlayStation. And despite the fact that its mobile plans include licenses, accessories and a new way to play streaming on PS5, at least we know that Sony is making a move for cloud gaming. Of course, its virtual reality on consoles has no competition.
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