Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launch hit a PlayStation milestone, while Phil Spencer reiterates multiplatform commitment

“We’re not taking Call of Duty from PlayStation.”

Image via Activision

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is out now, and while last year’s Vanguard didn’t meet Activision’s expectations, things seem to be on the right track for the new game. Modern Warfare 2 has been named “the biggest PlayStation Store launch ever for a Call of Duty game.”

The news comes straight from the source: the official PlayStation Twitter account. The achievement includes preorders and day-one sales across both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. While the exact sales numbers weren’t given, setting a new record is still noteworthy. Considering 2019’s Modern Warfare made $600 million in just three days on the market, PlayStation’s Modern Warfare 2 numbers must be quite large.

Congratulations to @InfinityWard and @Activision on the biggest PlayStation Store launch EVER for a Call of Duty game (including preorders and day one sales).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is now available for PS4 and PS5! pic.twitter.com/CU9GG853DI
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 31, 2022

The relationship between Call of Duty and PlayStation has been a big talking point of late. With Microsoft set to acquire Activision Blizzard in a near-$70 billion deal, many are wondering if Call of Duty will become an Xbox exclusive. It’s a fair question to ask in an era of so many studio acquisitions, especially when a brand like Xbox is buying up studios to lock their projects into Game Pass.

However, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has repeatedly said that he wants Call of Duty to be multiplatform — much like Minecraft, which the company also owns. Spencer reiterated this point once again on the latest episode of the Same Brain podcast, hosted by sisters iJustine and Jenna Ezarik. “We’re not taking Call of Duty from PlayStation,” Spencer says clearly. “That’s not our intent. As long as there’s a PlayStation out there to ship to, our intent is that we continue to ship Call of Duty on PlayStation.”

Spencer’s statement makes perfect sense. Why would Microsoft leave money on the table by not making Call of Duty available on all viable platforms? Of course, there’s still a major incentive to play Call of Duty on Xbox versus other places: the aforementioned Game Pass. Activision franchises like Call of Duty, Diablo, and Overwatch were specifically confirmed to be coming to the all-you-can-play service.