The dispute between Sony and Microsoft before the CMA continues, with the British anti-trust authority called to formulate an opinion on the acquisition process of Activision Blizzard.
At the center of the scene remains the series of Call of Dutywhose relevance on the videogame market is the protagonist of the latest reflections of Competition and Market Authority. While the CMA highlights the possible passage of users from PlayStation to Xbox linked to COD, the Redmond giant does not wait for its reply. By sending a substantial document to the institution, Microsoft he accuses the latter of paying more attention to Sony than to consumers. In addition, the company once again places the emphasis on the freedom of choice offered to its competitor.
We thus learn that, “if Sony accepted the current offer Microsoft’s contractual agreement “, the Japanese giant could count on” access to Call of Duty up to at least 2027“. A time window that would extend the current guarantees contracts already signed by Activision Blizzardwhich – according to Microsoft – would still be enough on their own to give Sony the necessary time to “make sure it has a competitive portfolio capable of cope with a possible strategy of exclusivity” in Redmond.
The CMA, Microsoft concludes, is not currently considering the possibilities Sony’s counter-moves to the acquisition. An approach negatively evaluated by Redmond, especially since the anti-trust authority has instead formulated several hypotheses on the possible “excessive” growth of Xbox Game Pass.
