Microsoft Reacts to Sony’s Claim that Activision Blizzard Accquisition May Result in Loss of Audience

Microsoft has reacted to Sony’s allegations that its continuing bid to purchase Activision Blizzard will disrupt the competitiveness, particularly concerning Call of Duty.

Sony warned last month that the proposed arrangement may persuade users to move from PlayStation to Xbox to the Brazilian regulatory agency CADE, which, like many other territories, is now reviewing the proposed partnership for clearance.

Microsoft has now responded to CADE with a 27-page acquisition-related document to refute Sony’s assertions. Microsoft states in the study that while several third parties, such as Ubisoft and Bandai Namco, responded to CADE, Sony was the only business to declare that Call of Duty was in a category all its own with no rivals.

Only one third party, Sony, presented materially different opinions than the Applicants and the other third parties consulted by the SG. Sony is isolated in this understanding and, curiously, even contradicts itself in its response to the letter, as will be detailed below.”

Microsoft continues by saying that Sony “is unhappy of having to compete with Microsoft’s subscription service” and as a result, Sony “does not want to see Call of Duty titles on Game Pass on day one.”

It also provides five arguments refuting Sony’s argument that the inclusion of Activision Blizzard games in Game Pass will give Microsoft an unreachable lead in subscription services:

• Microsoft does not intend to take away gamers’ access to material, and COD will continue to be available on PlayStation as a paid game.
• According to data, users only view subscription services as one kind of game payment.
• The “dynamic character” of subscription services and the fact that Sony has its service are both ignored by Sony’s assertion 
• There are several more game distribution and subscription services, many of which offer material not found on Xbox.
   

Once Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is finalized, the director of gaming at Microsoft also subsequently reiterated his determination to continue supporting Call of Duty on PlayStation systems.

Later, it was asserted that Activision Blizzard was legally bound to release just the next Call of Duty title Modern Warfare 2, and the following three on PlayStation systems.