A trend that has been popular in the last few years is some of the major video game companies going and buying up developers. You might recall this with Microsoft buying Bethesda or Sony getting Bungie. Both were seen as “power moves” while also helping them fortify their developer lineup so they could make great games for present and future consoles. But the biggest acquisition by far is the Activision purchase by Microsoft earlier in the year. Many see this as a “game changer” due to the power Microsoft has within its grasp. A power that PlayStation head Jim Ryan is not happy they have.
PlayStation and Sony have been very vocal about this acquisition and what it could do to the realm of gaming. However, don’t forget that Activision controls some of the biggest gaming franchises, including Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and more. These properties alone make hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars during critical phases of their lifespan. So if they were to suddenly become restricted to the Microsoft platforms and PC? That would cause a severe issue for many gamers. But Microsoft would reap all the profits from this move.
To be clear, Microsoft has repeatedly denied that they will restrict any major franchise, especially Call of Duty. However, Jim Ryan is not convinced. So early in September, he went to Brussels, Germany, to talk with the European Commission about stopping the deal. The regulators have until November 8th to decide whether they shut down the deal or not.
Given how lawmakers have been becoming more active in the video game space, it’s not impossible to think that they could pull the deal apart. But it’s also not a guarantee.
Should PlayStation be as worried as they’re claiming to be? You can see both sides of the issue. On the one hand, Microsoft does have control of certain franchises that are multi-platform and hasn’t restricted them at all. The most prominent example is Minecraft, the best-selling game of all time due to how it’s on all possible systems and not just Microsoft’s.
However, given how gaming has evolved over the years and how expensive it gets to make video games, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for a “change of heart” to happen within Microsoft, and suddenly all games under the Activision banner become exclusive to Microsoft systems.
Is that going to happen? We can’t say for sure, but it is possible. Never forget that the video game industry is just that, an industry. People run game companies to create titles and make money because it lets them make more games.
We’ll have to wait and see how this all goes down, but you can bet Jim Ryan will keep fighting for this right to the end.
Source: ComicBook.com
