Call of Duty: Vanguard, PlayStation's most popular release in 2021, is now ironically owned by Microsoft.
Following the shocking announcement that Xbox's parent company is finalizing a deal that will see it take control of publisher Activision Blizzard, the recently revealed list of best-selling video games in the United States can be viewed in a completely different light. Coming out on top is Call of Duty: Vanguard, the latest entry in the hyper-popular first-person shooter franchise. Considering that the Call of Duty IP is owned by Activision Blizzard, the irony of it now being one of the most popular games available on PlayStation consoles is undoubtedly not lost on fans. To make matters even more bizarre, the second bestselling PlayStation game of 2021 was Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War.
While the other entrants may not be as strange as the ownership situation surrounding Call of Duty, they are fascinating in their own right. Many of the games listed, including Fifa 22 and Madden NFL 22, aren't surprising but there are a few that stand out. Zombie shooter Back 4 Blood proved popular amongst gamers looking to blast the undead with their friends while Nintendo is still going strong in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. As for PlayStation exclusive titles, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is still represented despite launching in late 2020.
Taking the video game industry by surprise, Microsoft recently announced that it would be acquiring Activision Blizzard for over $68 billion USD. This means that Microsoft not only gains the rights to Call of Duty, it now also owns World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Tony Hawk's Pro-Skater and Crash Bandicoot. Beyond these major franchises, the acquisition also includes games developed by King Digital Entertainment, which includes Candy Crush, arguably the most popular gaming properties in the world.
While the acquisition of Activision Blizzard came as a shock to many, Microsoft has been steadily growing its roster of developers and partners in recent years. The company recently finished up a deal to purchase Bethesda Softworks, the purveyor of franchises such as The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom and Wolfenstein. Many of these titles were quickly added to Game Pass, Xbox's subscription service, once the deal was finalized. Microsoft has already confirmed that it plans to do the same with Activision Blizzard's library of games in the near future.
Source: VentureBeat