Just before the weekend, a ResetEra user shared a notice allegedly put up at one of Belgian supermarket Cora’s outlet in France, warning potential PS5 buyers to reconsider their purchase decision in light of Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
“Notice to gamers, Microsoft has bought Activision,” reads the sign. “Choose your machine carefully.” Under this printed warning, someone handwrote “Call of Duty” in parenthesis, referencing the theory that after the next three iterations, future Call of Duty games will become Microsoft exclusives.
The sign has been making rounds all weekend, with people weighing in as if it’s real, but we’re not so sure it is.
Xbox Activision acquisition has yet to be approved
Some users who believe the sign is real think that Cora is doing the right thing by informing customers who don’t keep abreast with video game industry news. However, it’s hard to believe that Cora would put up this notice in an official capacity because it’s highly unlikely that the retailer would jeopardize its relationship with Sony by promoting one console over the other in this manner, especially since the deal won’t close for another year and is pending regulatory approval.
Two things come to mind: this was either the work of a lone employee or a customer prank. On the latter, several ResetEra users have claimed that the sign was put up by an Xbox fan who mentioned doing it on an online forum. However, no one has been able to point out which forum this came from and/or a link to the original claim.
Opinion: Retailers don’t care about Xbox Activision acquisition
Zarmena writes… Retailers are least concerned with industry acquisitions. Their job is to sell products and earn a profit. I refuse to believe that Cora sanctioned this. This sign has all the hallmarks of an internet troll wanting to feed console wars, which isn’t hard to accomplish.
In other news, Hideo Kojima is rumored to be working on a PSVR 2 game, and Evil Dead: The Game has been delayed to May 2022.
[Source: ResetEra]
