Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard could hurt Call of Duty on PlayStation, says Sony

Sony has expressed concerns about Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard and its impact on the future of the Call of Duty franchise. According to documents submitted to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sony is worried that Microsoft could raise the price of Call of Duty, make it only available on Xbox Game Pass, and/or degrade the quality and performance of the game on PlayStation.

In raising concerns about Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Sony has presented a hypothetical situation where a Call of Duty game could have bugs and errors on the final level if released on PlayStation by Microsoft. While intentional sabotage is unlikely, Sony worries that Microsoft may prioritize bug fixes on Xbox versions of the game.

"Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty," Sony said in a statement.

"Indeed, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased in just the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favourite game at a second-class or less competitive venue," Sony added.

In addition, Sony expresses concerns about Microsoft's decision to keep Call of Duty exclusively on Xbox Game Pass and not allow Sony to offer the title on its own PlayStation Plus service. Despite Microsoft offering Sony a 10-year deal on Call of Duty, the PlayStation maker has not yet signed the license, indicating potential disagreement over the terms of the deal.

“Microsoft has not shown any real commitment to reaching a negotiated outcome. They have dragged their feet, engaged only when they sensed the regulatory outlook was darkening, and favoured negotiating in the media over engaging with SIE,” Sony said in its CMA filing. Sony has requested that the CMA address its concerns through structural remedies like selling off Call of Duty. The CMA is currently analyzing documents and emails before a final ruling about the acquisition is due by April 26th.

Reportedly, EU regulators are likely to approve Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal, with the licensing deals Microsoft struck with Nintendo and Nvidia easing concerns.

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