Activision has unveiled PlayStation-exclusive content coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 — potentially the last PlayStation-exclusive content Call of Duty will ever get.
Modern Warfare 3 is set for an exclusive operator called Lockpick, who comes with a variety of related items. PlayStation owners who pre-order Modern Warfare 3 get the bundle, which includes a unique knife and SMG, at launch in November. Promotional material confirms this content is exclusive to PlayStation platforms for a year, until November 9, 2024.
Microsoft’s long-running pursuit of Activision Blizzard reportedly ends next week with the imminent completion of its $69 billion buyout of the company behind Call of Duty. While Microsoft has secured an agreement with console rival Sony for the provision of Activision games on PlayStation for a decade, it seems unlikely Phil Spencer and co will want to give Call of Duty players a reason to favour the PlayStation version over the Xbox version after this year’s contractual obligations are satisfied.
A court document published as part of the summer’s Microsoft versus Federal Trade Commission (FTC) trial revealed Modern Warfare 3 is the last game covered by Sony’s contract with Activision, which means fresh marketing is set to commence with whatever Call of Duty game Activision has up its sleeve for late 2024.
If Modern Warfare 3’s PlayStation-exclusive content is the last of its kind, it marks the end of an era that has seen Call of Duty and Sony carve out parts of the shooter since 2015. Since then, PlayStation consoles have seen maps, weapons, and even modes given over to timed exclusivity, with PlayStation branding plastered on Call of Duty marketing material. As has been the case in recent years, PlayStation also gets a timed exclusive on Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer beta, which kicks off this weekend.
It’s worth noting PlayStation’s Call of Duty exclusivity period followed five years of Xbox timed exclusivity for Call of Duty. In 2010, Microsoft and Activision signed a multi-year agreement to bring Call of Duty game add-ons and map packs first to Xbox Live. As Sony’s timed exclusivity for Call of Duty on PlayStation 4 defined the last generation, Microsoft's timed exclusivity for Call of Duty on Xbox 360 defined the generation before that.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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