I’m sure you are all well-informed about the recent ransomware breach for Insomniac Games. Earlier this month, a group managed to hack in and steal data from the studio. This information compromised the future video games planned for the studio and some rather personal data for employees. Sony apparently didn’t pay up, and the ransomware group leaked the content online. Future games are spoiled, and employees are likely going through plenty of headaches during the holiday season.
A report from IGN that talks about one of the Sony-focused documents that had leaked has surfaced online. This document apparently voices the frustration and fear over Microsoft now that they have acquired Activision Blizzard. To the public, it seemed like this new purchase wasn’t a massive deal going forward despite the attempts to stop it in the court systems. Sony has several first-party titles and even a new push for live service games into the marketplace. However, as IGN notes, the worry is real. Microsoft is now seen as a much more significant threat, as the company could even leapfrog over some of Sony’s current pillars.
It’s noted that with this purchase going through, Microsoft has access to a strong mobile developer with King, live service titles like the Diablo franchise, and, of course, the big IP, Call of Duty. One way to ensure Microsoft could appease regulators was that the company signed limited contract deals to ensure Call of Duty games continued to land on rival platforms. However, that will end, according to IGN, in 2027. That’s a significant threat for Sony, but beyond that, PlayStation pointed towards the now day and date threat.
Microsoft has pushed Xbox Game Pass heavily, a service that provides value for players. Subscribers are given access to all of Xbox’s first-party video game titles the day they launch. That’s not something Sony has offered, and it continues to note that this is not a viable option for them. Essentially, Sony notes that the cost of developing their first-party games is far too much to bring a profit simply from PlayStation Plus subscribers. As a result, you won’t see their big AAA games on the service until well after they have been available for purchase separately.
Of course, we haven’t seen Microsoft move any of the big Activision Blizzard titles to their Game Pass subscription service. Instead, 2024 is when we’ll start seeing these games roll out onto Game Pass. That should also include the next major installment of the Call of Duty franchise.
