The platform removed Activision’s latest Call of Duty release from its Featured collection earlier this week.
Call of Duty (COD) Vanguard’s absence was first noted on Friday, Nov. 19. While PlayStation has not confirmed the connection between the two, sources have speculated that this was done in retaliation to the active lawsuit and investigation against Activision Blizzard spanning the past few months. Both PlayStation and its console rival, Xbox, have spoken out against Activision Blizzard for the accusations against it and its CEO, Bobby Kotick.
Build focus, then unleash it to attack specific weak points and cripple your enemies in Sifu, coming to PS5 and PS4 February 8. More new combat system details: https://t.co/Mo7lw7d2F5 pic.twitter.com/Rn81CbLEn2
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) November 19, 2021
Of course, the title hasn’t been delisted completely. PlayStation players can still find it on the storefront if they want to.
Ryan first came forward and issued a response to the rapidly-evolving harassment, enabling, and discrimination accusations against Activision Blizzard on Wednesday, Nov. 17. According to the statement issued to employees, noted by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Ryan was “disheartened and frankly stunned to read” about the situation. He reached out to Activision with the question of how they were planning to address the claims made through the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
“We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation,” Ryan wrote.
Phil Spencer, Xbox CEO, noted he was “evaluating all aspects of [their] relationship” with Activision Blizzard.
”This type of behavior has no place in our industry,” he wrote.
DBLTAP cannot confirm if Xbox will follow suit or attempt to remove the title from its storefront completely. Nevertheless, fans have been praising PlayStation for its actions in attempting to both support the victims and publicly display its disappointment with Activision.
Other organizations that have broken with Activision include Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that aims to support women in programming and introduce more young women to the field.
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