If PlayStation stands out from the competition thanks to some very large and very beautiful exclusive solo titles (The Last of Us, Uncharted, God of War…), economically, this is not necessarily what makes the brand stand up. In Europe, in particular, PlayStations are also selling enormously for the FIFA couple – Call Of Duty. Hence the concerns over the acquisition of Activision – publisher among other things of the license Call of Duty – par Microsoft.
To reassure everyone, Phil Spencer sent a nice letter to Sony, a signed agreement that guarantees the Japanese that Call of Duty games will continue to be released on PlayStation several years beyond the agreement that PlayStation already has with Activision.
A gesture of goodwill which again points to the fact that the console war is well and truly over? Not quite. Call of Duty is indeed at the center of all attention regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.
Thus, the two manufacturers have already been able to discuss the matter through lawyers, in a file submitted to the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) of Brazil. Sony declared there that it would be difficult today for a developer to set up a new franchise of the scope of Call of Duty, which has become “a genre in itself”. Microsoft had then replied that its rival was exaggerating things a bit, and that in any case, it would not be wise, economically speaking, for the company not to distribute CoD on PlayStation.
Today, it is in the United Kingdom, the leading video game market in Europe, that this is happening. The UK’s Competition and Market Authority (CMA), the equivalent of our Competition Directorate, said:
“In conclusion of phase 1 of our investigation, the fact that Microsoft can use, once the acquisition is confirmed, its control over popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft to hinder competition (…) raises some concerns. (…) We will study the deal more deeply during phase 2, in order to reach a decision which will be taken in the interest of UK players and the industry” – Sorcha O’CarrollChief Acquisitions Director at the CMA, in A press release translated by the editor.
We understand better, faced with the concerns of regulators and the threat hanging over the deal at 68.7 billion dollars, the “good will” of Phil Spencer to continue to share its (future) licenses with PlayStation…