Sony: Sony PlayStation chief ‘knew’ Microsoft’s ‘Call of Duty’ deal wasn’t about Xbox exclusives – Times of India

Sony, for the most of time, has argued that Microsoft’s acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard will have competitive disadvantages for other console makers. But just a few minutes into the hearing of the US Federal Trade Commission versus Microsoft case, a newly unsealed email revealed that Sony PlayStation chief believed it was not about making Activision games Xbox exclusives.
According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft counsel revealed an exchange between Jim Ryan, who heads Sony PlayStation unit, and a former Sony CEO while they were discussing the announcement of the deal last year.
“It is not an exclusivity play at all,” he apparently said. “They’re thinking bigger than that and they have the cash to make moves like this. I’ve spent a fair amount of time with [Phil] Spencer Bobby [Kotick] and I’m pretty sure we will continue to see Call of Duty on PlayStation for years to come,” he was quoted as saying.It is worth noting that this revelation counters Sony’s arguments against Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal. Sony, which has been dubbed the “loudest objector” to the deal, had said on several previous occasions that it fears Microsoft could make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox or sabotage the versions of the game that will make it to PlayStation consoles.
“We have some good stuff cooking. I’m not complacent, I’d rather this didn’t happen, but we’ll be OK, we’ll be more than OK,” he reportedly said.
Microsoft’s ‘Call of Duty’ offer
Initially, Microsoft offered Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years. This deal would have come into effect after the current agreement between Activision and Sony would have ended. However, Ryan called the offer “inadequate on many levels.” Microsoft later offered Sony a 10-year deal for bringing the game on PlayStation, but the Japanese company refused to sign it.

Interestingly, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also sidelined the console ‘war’ and blocked the deal due to cloud market competition concerns.Similarly, the European Commission also dismissed concerns about Call of Duty or Xbox exclusive games.
The FTC, however, is taking into account the potential harm in case Microsoft turns Activision games into Xbox exclusives across console, cloud gaming and multi-game subscriptions.
During the hearing, Microsoft did argue that its Activision deal is about mobile. “People are moving to mobile,” said Microsoft counsel Beth Wilkinson, offering a breakdown of revenues across the gaming market and 94% are playing on mobile phones in a $145 billion mobile gaming market.