What you need to know
- Microsoft’s Frank X. Shaw has claimed that Sony recently lied to European Union (EU) regulators about its pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- Specifically, Shaw told the EU that Microsoft had no intention of offering the PlayStation maker the equivalent of Call of Duty, even though Microsoft had previously proposed a 10-year deal. Sony said.
- Microsoft wants to bring the game to more people, and continues to argue that making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox would be “against business logic.”
As Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to come under intense scrutiny from regulators, Microsoft is one of PlayStation’s producers and one of the biggest opponents of the deal, Sony. recently claimed to have lied to the European Union about Call’s plans. of obligation. Microsoft has publicly committed to keeping its popular first-person shooter franchise on the PlayStation even after the merger is complete, but the company said Sony has another proposal to Brussels officials. I’m here. This news The EU will reportedly issue an antitrust warning to Microsoft About trading.
“I’ve heard Sony explain to the people in Brussels that they claim that if they buy Activision, Microsoft doesn’t want to give them the equivalent of Call of Duty. From the truth. Nothing is far away.” I have written Frank X. Shaw, corporate vice president of communications at Microsoft. “It is clear that we have offered Sony a 10-year deal to equalize timing, content, features, quality, playability, and other aspects of the game. We also stated that we would be happy to do so. Enforceable through contract, regulatory agreement or other means.”
With countless players frequented and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, Call of Duty is arguably one of the world’s largest entertainment franchises. Initially, Microsoft offered Sony the condition that he would keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation for three years after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard was completed. CEO Jim Ryan called it ‘insufficient’ in a statement. Following this, Microsoft offered Sony a 10-year deal, the two companies reportedly met to discuss specific details. The full outcome of these negotiations remains unknown, but based on the show’s official statement, it appears that no agreement has been reached.
It’s clear that they offered Sony a 10-year contract for timing, content, features, quality, playability, and other aspects of the game. It also says it wants to be able to do this through contracts, regulatory agreements or other means.2/4January 28, 2023
Microsoft has repeatedly argued that making Call of Duty exclusive to the Xbox console doesn’t align with its plans. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said: Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard largely because of its dominant position in mobile games, and the company says it wants to be “where the players are, especially with franchises on the scale of Minecraft and Call of Duty.” In the editorial Microsoft President Brad Smith also wrote: It said it was “economically irrational” to make Call of Duty exclusive because “a significant portion of Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty revenue comes from PlayStation game sales.” . Shaw repeats these arguments in his own comments.
“Sony is the leader in the console market, and excluding PlayStation gamers from the Call of Duty ecosystem is against business logic,” Shaw said. “Our goal is to bring Call of Duty and other games to more people around the world, like we did with Minecraft, so they can play where and how they want.”
Regulators are expected to make a final decision on the merger in the spring, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to announce a preliminary decision in late January or February. The EU and CMA are scheduled to deliver their verdicts on April 11 and April 26, respectively.
Notably, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit to block the deal, citing upcoming Xbox and Windows PC-only games such as Starfield and Redfall from its recently acquired ZeniMax as examples of why the company can’t be trusted. has already occurred. (Microsoft never committed to making these games multi-platform). Earlier this week, Report Suggests FTC Timed Lawsuit to Manipulate EU It also discourages regulators from reaching a settlement with Microsoft over their concerns regarding this transaction.
Windows Central view
The FTC has reportedly timed the lawsuit against the merger to manipulate the EU into avoiding a settlement with Microsoft, and Sony has blatantly lied about Microsoft’s planned commitments. Assuming Shaw’s allegations are true, Sony’s approach against the merger has reached a new level of malice. Reminds me of my company days. Microsoft Complains It Might Raise Xbox Prices After Acquiring Activision Blizzardjust a few months after Raising the cost of its own PS5 system.
Admittedly, Microsoft itself may not be honest. However, unlike Sony, actually happy to sit at the tablethe company has publicly stated several times that it is happy to work with regulators and negotiate with competitors. Ten-year deal to bring Call of Duty to Steam and Nintendo Switchdemonstrating a willingness to bring Activision’s best shooters to platforms other than their own.
After all, it has become increasingly clear that Sony is willing to say or do whatever it takes to thwart the acquisition of Microsoft.So I ask this: Who is TRUE Are you trying to stifle the competition?