In making its case for its Activision Blizzard acquisition to be approved, Microsoft has repeatedly said it will continue releasing Call of Duty on PlayStation. But what would actually stop the company from doing otherwise, given that Sony has reportedly refused to accept a contract guaranteeing future releases? According to Phil Spencer, there is serious damage to Xbox's brand that it would not intentionally invite.

As part of the ongoing hearings, in which the FTC is seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the acquisition from going through without further review, Spencer was asked if he would expect any kind of reaction from PlayStation CoD fans if the series were pulled from Sony's systems.

"Absolutely. I think as we've seen, even in preparation for this, that gamers are an active and vocal group," Spencer said. "Us pulling Call of Duty from PlayStation, in my view, would create irreparable harm to the Xbox brand after me in so many public places--including here--talking about and committing to us not playing Call of Duty from PlayStation."