Sony Formally Reacts To Xbox's Activision Deal, Worried About Losing Call Of Duty

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen several major acquisitions shake up the video games industry but perhaps none more so than Microsoft’s buyout of Activision. Back in January, Microsoft announced the $68.7 billion deal which could potentially add franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Overwatch to Xbox’s exclusive line up.

In the months since, Microsoft’s proposed buyout has been undergoing the relevant processes including an inspection by industry regulators to ensure that the deal doesn’t monopolise the gaming industry. The acquisition is certain to have an effect on Xbox competitors PlayStation and they’ve finally spoken out about the deal.

The deal doesn’t undergo just one inspection. Regulatory bodies across the world will scrutinise the buyout and as spotted by Resetera user Isas, Brazil’s regulatory body interviewed a number of third parties about their thoughts on the proposed acquisition. This included companies like Ubisoft, Amazon, Google … and Sony.

As reported by VGC, Sony highlighted the importance of Call of Duty to the PlayStation brand as the franchise “influences users’ console choice.” During a Q&A portion of the review process, Sony deemed Call of Duty to be “an essential game: a blockbuster, an AAA-type game that has no rival.”