When the court greenlit Microsoft’s Activision buy, my squad erupted. PlayStation pals panicked about Call of Duty going Xbox-only. PC players joked about Game Pass becoming OP. Me? I just wanna know if my late-night Verdansk runs stay crossplay.

Big mergers always spark console wars, but this one’s personal. Call of Duty’s like pizza at a LAN party – everyone expects it. Take that off PlayStation, and suddenly your buddy can’t squad up. Microsoft swears they’ll keep it multiplatform, but remember when Bethesda games became Xbox exclusives? Exactly.

I’ve been burned before. When Starfield skipped PlayStation, my DualSense-collecting friend had to buy an Xbox. Now he side-eyes every Game Pass update. But let’s be real – getting Diablo and Overwatch in the subscription buffet? That’s a win for my wallet. Unless they nerf the content to push DLC.

Back in the Halo vs. CoD glory days, exclusives felt earned through killer gameplay. Now it’s boardrooms deciding where we frag. Remember when EA swallowed studios whole and killed fan-favorite modes? This ain’t that… yet. Microsoft’s kept Minecraft everywhere, so maybe there’s hope.

Here’s my loot drop take: Competition breeds better games. If Xbox hoards Activision’s catalog, PlayStation fires back with new IPs. We players get better shooters, RPGs, maybe even fresh genres. Just don’t make me buy three consoles to play with friends. Keep the grind fair, the lobbies open, and maybe – just maybe – we’ll all respawn happier.