The latest Call of Duty game will have a public beta which appears to be available on PlayStation before any other platform.
This is to be expected as the Modern Warfare 3 beta release marks the end of Sony’s partnership with Activision Blizzard before the Microsoft acquisition of the company.
The Modern Warfare 3 beta will come to PlayStation first
Online promotional videos for Modern Warfare 3 have included the message “Play the demo first on PlayStation.”
Screenshots of a YouTube video from Sony’s Arabic YouTube account were posted by BKTOOR.
CharlieIntel shared the screenshots and translation on Twitter saying: “Modern Warfare III Beta will be available first on PlayStation.”
The YouTube video has since been removed from Sony’s YouTube account.
Why does PlayStation get the Beta first?
Sony and Activision have a long-standing partnership, which was announced at E3 in 2015.
This deal guaranteed Sony timed exclusivity of new Call of Duty content including new updates, DLCs, and maps. This exclusivity typically lasts for a 30-day period after which point other platforms have access to the games.
In an interview with CNBC in February, Microsoft President Brad Smith said the PlayStation partnership with Activision Blizzard will “expire next year”.
While not much is known about it at this stage, Microsoft announced last month that it had signed a binding agreement with Sony to keep Call of Duty on the platform.
Phil Spencer wrote on Twitter: “We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.”
This wll likely be the last chance for PlayStation fans to have exclusivity for Call of Duty, so it is time to charge your dualsense controllers and settle down to enjoy the first look at the Modern Warfare 3 beta.