Update:
A Microsoft spokesperson has reached out and offered a statement which we have included below.
Microsoft wants to take gaming into the future by meeting gamers where they are across platforms, while Sony wants to protect its dominant position. That’s why our leaders have shown up in person to testify about how this merger benefits gamers.
Microsoft Spokesperson
Original Story…
There’s an ongoing battle with Microsoft right now to acquire the Activision Blizzard company. It’s a massive deal, as Microsoft bid a whopping $69 billion to seal the deal. But unfortunately, the journey to acquire the company has been anything but smooth. Regulators have been the main obstacle to deal with right now, and currently, there is a court battle happening with the Federal Trade Commission within the United States. During this court battle, a video deposition featured the Sony Interactive Entertainment head, Jim Ryan. According to the folks over at PlayStation, publishers don’t like Game Pass.
It’s been a vocal component PlayStation had when it came to Game Pass. Jim Ryan is likely not going to bring a similar service to PlayStation. The closest thing fans of Game Pass have over on PlayStation is the Game Catalog. This is through a PlayStation Plus tier subscription, where players gain access to a variety of video game titles.
The difference with Game Pass is that players are guaranteed to receive all the first-party Xbox titles at launch. Likewise, they would remain on the subscription service unless licensing issues arise. That was the case for Quantum Break, which saw an exit from Game Pass until the licensing issues were resolved.
But during the video deposition, which we’re finding out about thanks to VGC, it looks like Jim Ryan stated that he talks to all the publishers, and they unanimously state that they do not like Game Pass because it’s value destructive. Jim Ryan went on to state that these are views they held for many years now.
Of course, Game Pass is a big service that Microsoft is pushing and is a great value for gamers. With this subscription, you’re getting access to a wide assortment of video games, and if Activision Blizzard becomes acquired by Microsoft, you’ll see their video games land on the service as well. But again, only time will tell right now if Microsoft is able to proceed with the purchase.
Meanwhile, in other news regarding Game Pass, it was recently unveiled to be rising in price slightly. But you’ll still find it likely the best bang for your buck when it comes to the Xbox platform. Additionally, we learned that the Xbox Series X console model, in particular, would be rising in price in select markets.
