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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.
Speaking of Call of Duty, check out this incredible gameplay from Modern Warfare II which is set to release on 28 October.
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.
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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.”
Sony went on to say, “Call of Duty is so popular that it influences users’ choice of console, and its network of loyal users is so entrenched that even if a competitor had the budget to develop a similar product, it would not be able to rival it. [...] No other developer can devote the same level of resources and expertise in game development. Even if they could, Call of Duty is overly entrenched, so that no rival – no matter how relevant – can catch up.”
For now, we know that at least the next three Call of Duty games will also be released to PlayStation consoles but clearly Sony is worried about the franchise’s sole rights falling into a competitor's hands after the current fulfilment is completed.
Topics: Call Of Duty, Activision, Xbox, PlayStation, Sony, Microsoft