Microsoft wants to complete the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and move forward with its plans. The latest move, if Sony accepts it, will greatly benefit PlayStation users: Xbox Game Studios’ plan would not only include the addition of Call of Duty to Game Pass, but would have offered Sony to include it as part of the PlayStation Plus subscription. at least second indicates Bloomberg.
This peculiar situation dates back to a long time ago: for Jim Ryan, president of PlayStation, maintaining what has already been agreed with Activision regarding the Call of Duty saga on PlayStation consoles is insufficient and he is concerned with notifying the regulatory bodies in charge of approving the Buy . Some see no obstacles and others understand that the change of hands of the war saga could be a lethal move for PlayStation as a company.
The other reality is that a year has passed since the official announcement and while Sony has announced new purchases and future exclusives, from Microsoft have been very moderate with regards to advertising and what’s new for Xbox. Which has its logic: it is very likely that putting dates and details on games like Redfall or Starfield, or announcing games that will only be released on Xbox and PC, could jeopardize the acquisition.
From Activision Blizzard, creators of call of Duty, are clear about what they want: they will defend the Microsoft takeover if necessary and ensure that any suggestion that the purchase could have anti-competitive effects is “preposterous”. In any case, Activision Blizzard is much more than a single game saga, for many millions that this sale.
What call of Duty included as part of the PlayStation Plus service will increase both your subscribers and the value of your PlayStation consoles. Sony will lose that huge and controversial percentage of direct sales that gave him more of a headache, but which is vital to his project.
And while Microsoft clears up any doubts about the future of the Call of Duty saga on desktop, Xbox and PlayStation gamers come out ahead, but is that enough for sony?
A good deal for PlayStation gamers and for Sony?
So far, Microsoft’s proposals have been more than generous: Phil Spencer, of Xbox, has guaranteed that the games of the saga will be offered Call of Duty for ten yearspre-acquisition agreements will be honored, including leniency in beta or exclusive content, and also ensures that as long as there is a PlayStation console they will continue to release new installments of the game.
They have even promised to bring the Call of Duty saga to Switch or strengthen the saga to Steam, which will bring more benefits to Microsoft. To stop bringing the saga to PlayStation would be a blow in the foot, and Microsoft knows it. Obviously the latter also affects Sony’s business model for very different reasons.
However, we must not lose sight of one important thing: it is not Sony executives who decide whether the acquisition can go ahead, but regulatory bodies in the United States or Europe.
In any case, this situation has greatly benefited PlayStation players and, throughout this period, a Sony that has been able to seize the moment. Microsoft’s acquisitions came to a screeching halt, and news of key Xbox Game Studios games began to come in a dropper. The presence of Xbox at the last Game Awards, in fact, was little more than a medley of games coming to Game Pass. Literally.
Meanwhile, PlayStation Studios has seized the opportunity to expand to PC and grow internally.
To all effects, Microsoft wants to complete the acquisition and move forward with their own plans. Above all, in the face of new installments of Crash and a Diablo 4 that are already on the horizon. Will the inclusion of Call of Duty in PS Plus be enough for Sony? Maybe yes, or rather the opposite. But surely They can’t make things easier for regulatory bodies.
