11 Aug. (Portaltic/EP) –
microsoft has accused Sony to pay for so-called “blocking rights”, which prevent developers from including their video games in the monthly subscription service GamePass from your console, Xbox.
The Redmond company has presented this Tuesday a series of documents before the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) from Brazil to approve the purchase of the developer ActivisionBlizzardannounced in January this year.
After receiving this letter, and as usual in the Latin American country in operations of this magnitude, this regulatory body has shared it with other companies in the sector, as explained Eurogamer.
Of all the companies consulted, Sony has been the only one that has opposed the formalization of this agreement, as Microsoft pointed out in the letter recently submitted to CADE, in which it offers a response to the Japanese company’s allegations to approve this agreement.
First of all, the technology company points out what Sony pointed out regarding Call of Duty, one of Activision’s games. Specifically, in its allegations the Japanese underlines that “no other developer has managed to create a franchise that can rival” this game, which “is so popular that it influences users’ choice of console.”
It also defines it as a franchise “a must for PlayStation” which should be considered as a category of games of its own due to its relevance. Beyond this, Sony is also against the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, considering that it would be a “turning point” for the market.
In response, Microsoft calls Sony’s argument for Call of Duty “inconsistent“, since the Japanese has not presented “any element” that supports the assertion that the franchise should be a genre in itself.
On the other hand, the Redmond company suggests that Sony overestimates the importance of Call of Duty in a “radical” way and lists the list of the n20 best-selling games in 2021 with the presence of other “popular” franchises such as FIFA, GTA, Resident Evil, Far Cry Y Assassin’s Creed.
It goes on to conclude that Call of Duty is “just another game in a wide range of best-selling titles, many of which aren’t even available on Xbox due to the exclusivity strategies of Microsoft’s competitors.”
On the other hand, Microsoft defends that Sony has shown “unfounded concern” about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, since the Japanese company points out that this commercial movement would be a “turning point for the market”.
Microsoft says that “players will continue to have access to Activision Blizzard content, including Call of Duty, through traditional buy-to-play channels such as the PlayStation console.”
In fact, the technology manufacturer believes that the purchase of Activision Blizzard will have the reverse effect and will increase “competition in the industry by providing high-quality content at lower prices.”
Therefore, the company maintains that Sony’s position “it only reveals the fear of an innovative business model” that can “threaten a leadership forged in a strategy focused on the use of a single device and on the exclusivity” of its titles.
As a result of that alleged fear, Microsoft believes that Sony has “hampered” the “continuous expansion” of the Xbox Game Pass service. To do this, it states that the Japanese pays for “blocking rights” that prevent developers from listing their titles on both this subscription service and those of competitors.
Finally, Microsoft concludes its allegations by pointing out that “Sony’s dissatisfaction only reflects the reluctance of traditional companies to compete with disruptive agents“.
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