Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard has come under scrutiny in various markets, including the UK, where the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating. Microsoftthe competitor of in the game space sony worked to get regulators to block the acquisition and has now made its case against the deal.
PC Gamer reports that in its submission, Sony threw the Battlefield series of video games, published by Electronic Arts (EA), under the bus. Lawyers for the Japanese company claim in their brief that EA tried to produce a rival for Call of Duty (COD) with its Battlefield series but the franchise can’t keep up.
Here’s what Sony said in its submission:
Call of Duty is not reproducible. Call of Duty is too entrenched for a rival, no matter how well equipped, to catch up. It’s been the best-selling game almost every year for the past decade, and in the first-person shooter (“FPS”) genre, it’s overwhelmingly the best-selling game. Other publishers don’t have the resources or expertise to match its success. To give a concrete example, Electronic Arts – one of the biggest third-party developers after Activision – has been trying for many years to produce a rival to Call of Duty with its Battlefield series. Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield – and despite EA’s track record of developing other successful AAA franchises (such as FIFA, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront) – the Battlefield franchise can’t follow. As of August 2021, over 400 million Call of Duty games have been sold, while Battlefield has only sold 88.7 million copies.
Microsoft wants to keep COD on PlayStation
Microsoft head of games Phil Spencer has repeatedly said the company wants to keep Call of Duty games on PlayStation “as long as there’s a PlayStation to ship.” Sony argues that after the acquisition, the Windows maker will control the franchise.
In fact, Microsoft President and Vice President Brad Smith said earlier, “Sony, as an industry leader, says they’re concerned about ‘Call of Duty,’ but we’ve said that we are committed to making the same game available on the same day. Xbox and PlayStation.”
PC Gamer reports that in its submission, Sony threw the Battlefield series of video games, published by Electronic Arts (EA), under the bus. Lawyers for the Japanese company claim in their brief that EA tried to produce a rival for Call of Duty (COD) with its Battlefield series but the franchise can’t keep up.
Here’s what Sony said in its submission:
Call of Duty is not reproducible. Call of Duty is too entrenched for a rival, no matter how well equipped, to catch up. It’s been the best-selling game almost every year for the past decade, and in the first-person shooter (“FPS”) genre, it’s overwhelmingly the best-selling game. Other publishers don’t have the resources or expertise to match its success. To give a concrete example, Electronic Arts – one of the biggest third-party developers after Activision – has been trying for many years to produce a rival to Call of Duty with its Battlefield series. Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield – and despite EA’s track record of developing other successful AAA franchises (such as FIFA, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront) – the Battlefield franchise can’t follow. As of August 2021, over 400 million Call of Duty games have been sold, while Battlefield has only sold 88.7 million copies.
Microsoft wants to keep COD on PlayStation
Microsoft head of games Phil Spencer has repeatedly said the company wants to keep Call of Duty games on PlayStation “as long as there’s a PlayStation to ship.” Sony argues that after the acquisition, the Windows maker will control the franchise.
In fact, Microsoft President and Vice President Brad Smith said earlier, “Sony, as an industry leader, says they’re concerned about ‘Call of Duty,’ but we’ve said that we are committed to making the same game available on the same day. Xbox and PlayStation.”
FTC may take legal action to block Microsoft-Activision deal
The development comes at the same time as a Politico report citing people familiar with the matter said the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is likely to file an antitrust lawsuit to block the $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal. dollars from Microsoft.
“We are committed to continuing to work cooperatively with regulators around the world to allow the transaction to proceed, but we will not hesitate to fight to defend the transaction if necessary,” a spokesperson said. Activision Blizzard.
