The CMA, the UK Competition and Markets Authority, is still analyzing from all angles Microsoft’s takeover of Activision-Blizzard. In official documents published on this occasion, the American company did not hesitate to recognize the high quality of exclusive Sony products.
As you may know, Microsoft’s takeover of Activision-Blizzard for an astronomical $60 billion is currently being reviewed bythe Competition and Markets Authority, CMA.
In particular, the institution fears that this acquisition puts Microsoft in a position of strength compared to its main competitors such as Sony and Nintendo. In particular, the CMA points the finger at the future of certain successful licenses such as Call of Duty. If they disappear from the Playstation catalog, e.g. this could be detrimental to Sony if the CMA is to be believed.
We learned yesterday that Microsoft has offered Sony a contract to guarantee that Call of Duty will stay on Playstation for the next ten years. At the moment, we do not know if the Japanese company has responded positively to this proposal. On the other hand, the procedure laid down by the CMA allows us to learn a little more about Microsoft and company’s take on Sony’s exclusive.
Sony remains the king of exclusives according to Microsoft
In official documents that have just been published, Microsoft confirms that the proposed merger with Activision-Blizzard will not harm competition, especially by because of Sony’s power as a game publisher. “In addition to being the dominant console supplier, Sony is also a strong game publisher. Sony is the size of Activision and almost twice the game publishing of Microsoft.” insures the company.
She continues: “There were over 280 exclusive First Party and Third Party titles on Playstation in 2021, almost 5 times more than on Xbox.” In the same document, Microsoft claims that Sony’s exclusive offers are certainly more numerous, but also of better quality. “Exclusive games from Sony and Nintendo are among the best sellers in Europe and worldwide. Sony’s current exclusive content includes top titles such as The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War and Spider-Man.
In fact and in the eyes of Microsoft, it is unthinkable Sony finds itself on the sidelines due to the absence of a specific license, in this case Call of Duty. In addition, the Redmond company reminds that Nintendo has done very well for several years without offering Call of Duty games on its catalog (no licensed game was released on Switch). And you, what do you think of Microsoft’s argument? Tell us in the comments.
Source: Eurogamer