Sony wants Microsoft to sell Call of Duty

Microsoft and Sony they keep exchanging blows while regulators weigh in on their final decision to buy Activision Blizzard. And the most recent revelations come from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which released documents from both companies regarding the concessions that must be made to close the deal. However, the Japanese do not retreat from their sharp position: what does microsoft sell call of Dutyor that a $68,700 million transaction is blocked.

In particular, CMA published the responses of Microsoft and Sony to the authorities’ request for possible concessions. Both files are extensively redacted as they contain important and sensitive data related to their business. Regardless, it’s pretty easy to follow the thread of what the corporations that run the Xbox and PlayStation, respectively, are offering.

It is worth clarifying that although the documents were made public today, they are dated February 22. In the case of Microsoft, the company once again insists that the purchase of Activision Blizzard it’s not anti-competitive, but it would be beneficial for the video game industry. And use the Nintendo Transfer Agreement as an example call of Duty on Switch for 10 years, and with NVIDIA to publish Xbox games for PC on GeForce Now. Coincidentally (and not so much) that both alliances were revealed the day before the preparation of the document, on February 21st.

While in terms of their relationship with Sony, Redmond’s representatives once again insisted that they intended to expand the presence call of Duty on console within 10 years. And they assured that said agreement applies to games already released on PS4 and PS5, as well as those that will appear in the future, even on the next Japanese console. But not only that, but they intend to launch it on the same terms as they do on Xbox and PC. and include upcoming deliveries shooter from day one on PlayStation Plus.

Sony does not accept Microsoft’s offers for call of Duty

Beyond what Microsoft has to offer, Sony remains firm in its position. Representatives for Jim Ryan agree with the CMA’s preliminary findings that the purchase of Activision Blizzard could harm competition. Therefore, they believe that the concessions that, according to them, the Redmonds are ready to make, are not enough. The only ways out that the Japanese consider possible are two: prohibition on agreement or structural measures. Essentially, PlayStation requires Xbox to sell call of Duty or that the CMA is blocking the purchase of Activision Blizzard entirely.

“In order to eliminate the competitive damage done to consoles and cloud gaming, the transaction must be prohibited or subject to a structural concession. Sony Interactive Entertainment is extremely skeptical that a deal with Microsoft can be achieved, let alone effectively monitored and enforced. As a result, the CMA should not agree to the behavioral compromise that was supposed to be the basis of the agreement between Microsoft and SIE, since there is no realistic prospect of reaching such an agreement that would allow effective competition to be maintained. More generally, behavioral remedies are not appropriate in this case because of the advantage they would give Microsoft over PlayStation and the difficulty the CMA would have in identifying, monitoring, controlling and enforcing any behavioral liability.”

Sony in connection with Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard.

It is clear that discussions about the future of Activision Blizzard and, in particular, call of DutyThey are entering a pivotal phase. Last few days, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, assured that his intention is to “release the best version of the game on all platforms.” While Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, recently said that he travels everywhere with a copy of a 10-year contract with Sony, as a sign of good will to sign the agreement.

It is clear that Sony plans to spend all available cartridges so that the purchase of Activision Blizzard does not take place. Although, no matter how sharp your position is, there is no guarantee that it will be successful.. Remember that the European Commission is ready to give the green light to the acquisition, and this could be a blow to the Asians. EU regulators will publish their decision on April 25, with the CMA doing the same a day later. Then it remains to be seen what happens to the US Federal Trade Commission.