There is plenty of hype and anticipation over what the future of Activision Blizzard will end up being. However, since Microsoft made a grand bid to acquire Activision Blizzard, it’s been a rough road for the company to traverse through. With several objections by Sony and now regulators investigating the matter, we’re uncertain how the deal will go through. Today, we’re finding new statements coming out from Sony and the UK CMA. According to a recent statement that was made public, it looks like Sony has started to point at Starfield exclusivity as a reason not to trust Microsoft.
In the statements provided, thanks to Insider Gaming, we’re finding that Sony is showing how this acquisition would harm the competition. The focus was on the previously acquired ZeniMax Media purchase from Microsoft. Initially, the company noted to investors that they highly encouraged cross-platform play, which resulted in a good gaming ecosystem. However, it was then pointed out that Microsoft made the decision after the acquisition went through that Microsoft would make Bethesda’s upcoming Starfield title and The Elder Scrolls’ next release as an Xbox exclusive, which kept the anticipated heavy-hitting RPG title coming out this year from arriving on the PlayStation 5 platform.
Of course, this was also something that the FTC was interested in, as they recently requested more insight into the deals. FTC is seeking future exclusivity deals that are going through the likes of ZeniMax Media studios along with the recent contract deals Microsoft made. That might be a key point here, as Microsoft has made contract deals to ensure that the Call of Duty franchise would land on competitor platforms for at least ten years. Since the main focus of this acquisition is Call of Duty, it’s been heavily advertised by Microsoft in their recent contract deals.
With the recent contracts, Microsoft would provide Call of Duty games for competitors, which would, in theory, play out similarly to what Xbox and PC owners would receive. Although, there’s no telling if these games will continue releasing on competitor platforms after the contract ends. Regardless, Sony has not been keen on signing a contract and instead wants to see this purchase not go through. So it will be very interesting to see what the regulators end up ruling after they have gone through the necessary files and meetings regarding Microsoft’s massive bid for the Activision Blizzard company.
