Microsoft, meanwhile, affirms there will be console parity
Sony is laying out concerns about Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard. These include the chance that Microsoft may release a worse version ofCall of Dutyon PlayStation, though Microsoft claims it will maintain parity.
In adocumentsubmitted to theUK’s Competition and Markets Authority(CMA) filed in late February, as spotted byThe Verge, Sony raises concerns about what Microsoft may do withCall of Duty. This includes concerns that Activision could even create a worseCODexperience on a competitor’s console. Here’s the slice where Sony lays out this possibility:
“For example, Microsoft might release a PlayStation version ofCall of Dutywhere 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 playCall of Duty. Indeed, asModern Warfare IIattests,Call of Dutyis 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 Dutygamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favourite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.”
Though this doesn’t quite allege intended sabotage, the concern seems to be that the PlayStation version would become second fiddle. Sony alleges that even if Microsoft were to operate in good faith, it would be incentivized to support and prioritize development of the Xbox version. Sony also other ways in whichCall of Dutycould skew towards Xbox, including the price of the series going up and making it available on a subscription service only through Game Pass. It concludes by saying that the transaction should be either prohibited, or subject to a “structural remedy.”
Answering the call
Microsoft responded in a statement toEurogamer, saying that since the CMA issued its Provisional Findings, the company has offered solutions that address the concerns.
“These include a guarantee of parity between Xbox and PlayStation on access toCall of Dutyand legally binding commitments to ensure thatCall of Dutyis available to at least 150 million more players on other consoles and cloud streaming platforms once the deal closes,” the Microsoft spokesperson said.
Additionally, the spokesperson adds in regard to the deal: “The decision now lies with the CMA on whether it will block this deal and protect Sony, the dominant market leader, or consider solutions that make more games available to more players.”
