Load the Game Video Games, Reviews, Game News, Game Reviews & Game Video Trailers
According to the CEO of Xbox, Sony is not being cooperative in efforts to strike a compromise about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
One of Sony’s main issues with the $68.7 billion transaction is that it would give Microsoft ownership of the Call of Duty franchise, which Sony recently referred to as “irreplaceable” in a complaint with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
Microsoft’s ownership of Call of Duty, according to Sony, would shift the scales so dramatically in its favor that PlayStation might eventually be unable to compete.
It has also been asserted that the Activision Blizzard deal represents Microsoft’s “true strategy,” which is to make PlayStation “become like Nintendo” and steer clear of the 18+ shooter market.
Microsoft announced this week that it has offered Sony a 10-year, legally binding contract to make each new installment of the Call of Duty series available on PlayStation the same day it is made available on Xbox. This is because the future of the Call of Duty series as a multiplatform product is one of the key areas being scrutinized by international regulators. Additionally, it said on Wednesday that it had sent Nintendo and Steam with comparable offers.
However, Phil Spencer claimed in an interview with Bloomberg that Sony isn’t interested in bargaining with Microsoft for Call of Duty.
According to him, Sony has been the party voicing the most of the concerns. Sony has been open about the aspects of the project that fall short of their expectations. From where we are standing, it is obvious that they are trying to complete this agreement by spending more time with the regulators than they are with us.
“Our goal is to become more relevant on more screens,” Spencer continued. We know quite well how to work with Sony and Nintendo to create a win-win situation.
In-depth investigations into Microsoft’s acquisition plans have recently been launched by the European Commission and the UK’s CMA, and it has been rumored that the US FTC may file an antitrust lawsuit to try to block the Activision acquisition.
On Wednesday, Microsoft executives will meet with FTC chair Lina Khan and other commissioners to present their case for why the transaction shouldn’t be halted due to antitrust concerns.
