Sony, for the most of time, has argued that Microsoft’s acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard will have competitive disadvantages for other console makers. But just a few minutes into the hearing of the US Federal Trade Commission versus Microsoft case, a newly unsealed email revealed that Sony PlayStation chief believed it was not about making Activision games Xbox exclusives.
According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft counsel revealed an exchange between Jim Ryan, who heads Sony PlayStation unit, and a former Sony CEO while they were discussing the announcement of the deal last year.
\u201cIt is not an exclusivity play at all,\u201d he apparently said. \u201cThey\u2019re thinking bigger than that and they have the cash to make moves like this. I\u2019ve spent a fair amount of time with [Phil] Spencer Bobby [Kotick] and I\u2019m pretty sure we will continue to see Call of Duty on PlayStation for years to come,\u201d he was quoted as saying.It is worth noting that this revelation counters Sony\u2019s arguments against Microsoft\u2019s Activision Blizzard deal. Sony, which has been dubbed the “loudest objector” to the deal, had said on several previous occasions that it fears Microsoft could make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox or sabotage the versions of the game that will make it to PlayStation consoles.
\u201cWe have some good stuff cooking. I\u2019m not complacent, I\u2019d rather this didn\u2019t happen, but we\u2019ll be OK, we\u2019ll be more than OK,\u201d he reportedly said.
Microsoft’s ‘Call of Duty’ offer<\/span>
Initially, Microsoft offered Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years. This deal would have come into effect after the current agreement between Activision and Sony would have ended. However, Ryan called the offer \u201cinadequate on many levels.\u201d Microsoft later offered Sony a 10-year deal for bringing the game on PlayStation, but the Japanese company refused to sign it.<\/p>\nInterestingly, the UK\u2019s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also sidelined the console ‘war’ and blocked the deal due to cloud market competition concerns.Similarly, the European Commission also dismissed concerns about Call of Duty or Xbox exclusive games.
The FTC, however, is taking into account the potential harm in case Microsoft turns Activision games into Xbox exclusives across console, cloud gaming and multi-game subscriptions.
During the hearing, Microsoft did argue that its Activision deal is about mobile. \u201cPeople are moving to mobile,\u201d said Microsoft counsel Beth Wilkinson, offering a breakdown of revenues across the gaming market and 94% are playing on mobile phones in a $145 billion mobile gaming market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n