Update 5pm UK: In a statement to Eurogamer, a Microsoft spokesperson addressed Sony’s statement: “It makes zero business sense for Microsoft to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation given its market-leading console position.”
Original story 4.45pm UK: Sony says it “welcomes the announcement” by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority that it will further investigate Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In a statement Games Industry.bizThe platform holder said, “By giving Microsoft control of Activision games like Call of Duty, this deal will have major negative implications for gamers and the future of the gaming industry.”
“We want to guarantee that PlayStation gamers have the highest quality gaming experience possible,” Sony continued, “and we appreciate the CMA’s focus on protecting gamers.”
At the beginning of the month, The CMA has announced that it will upgrade Microsoft’s proposed Activision acquisition of Blizzard to “Phase 2”, meaning the regulator will now conduct a more in-depth investigation into the market implications of the acquisition.
The CMA listed several reasons for its decision, but chief among them was the value of the Call of Duty franchise in driving console sales.
Its concern was that Microsoft might make Call of Duty an Xbox-exclusive title in the future, and that could severely hurt PlayStation sales in the future.
Microsoft has promised to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation “For many more years,” but Playstation Jim Ryan Hitback It says it is “inadequate on several levels”.
In the end, only one side of this argument will come out happy, and it’s still a while before we find out which one.
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