Things have taken a weird turn ahead of Microsoft Activision deal‘s closure. As regulatory bodies around the world scrutinize the impending acquisition, Sony has expressed concerns about potential Call of Duty Xbox exclusivity whereas Microsoft insists that Activision Blizzard doesn’t make any “unique, must-have” games so the deal should go ahead.
Call of Duty at the center of Microsoft Activision deal debate
Microsoft is partially correct in saying that Activision Blizzard doesn’t make any “unique, must-have” games but it would be foolish to deny the brand value that Call of Duty holds. Considered a household name by now, Call of Duty is Sony’s biggest third-party revenue maker and in recent years, Sony and Activision Blizzard have collaborated for exclusive in-game content that seems to have worked wonders for the PlayStation maker. That multi-year deal has an expiration date, however, and Sony seems spooked by the idea of Microsoft taking Call of Duty off of rival platforms.
Regulators are well-aware of the power of Call of Duty and it’s almost always brought up when discussing the Microsoft Activision deal. Microsoft is as concerned as Sony is when it comes to this, but for different reasons. The company has been convincing the authorities that existing Call of Duty games will remain on PlayStation and although it’s making no promises about the future, Microsoft has told regulators in New Zealand that there’s nothing special about any Activision Blizzard franchises, including Call of Duty.
As discovered by Rock Paper Shotgun, Microsoft’s response to the New Zealand Commerce Commission reads:
Specifically, with respect to Activision Blizzard video games, there is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that is a “must have” for rival PC and console video game distributors that could give rise to a foreclosure concern.
That’s the Call of Duty issue sorted, then. Press the green light, guys!
In other news, Dying Light 2 PS5 version is getting VRR support, and Dead Island 2 is reportedly set to be re-revealed.
