Sony and Microsoft are still clashing in the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation. The CMA are currently assessing Microsoft’s potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard, in which Sony has been very vocal about their concerns. The latest has been found in Sony document from the investigation, in which it speculates that Microsoft’s ownership of Call of Duty could lead them to intentionally sabotage PlayStation versions of the hugely popular shooter.
At present, PlayStation is the most popular platform for Call of Duty in the world. Microsoft has repeatedly insisted that they will not remove the series from Sony’s platforms if they are able to acquire Activision Blizzard has planned. This clearly has Sony concerned, even going so far as to suggest intentional sabotage. The full quote from Sony reads as follows, and can be found on point 22 of their observations document.
“Third, swiftly detecting any diversions from, and ensuring compliance with, a commitment as to technical or graphical quality would be challenging. For example, Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty. Indeed, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased in just the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favourite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.”
It’s questionable as to whether Microsoft would actively choose to make a worse experience for PlayStation’s Call of Duty fans, especially with how large that audience is. It also raises questions as to whether Sony thinks Microsoft would also sabotage the Steam release of Call of Duty too, given that’s also a platform that’s out of Microsoft’s ownership.
What do you think about Sony’s comments? Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more gaming news.
Nie wykupi wyobrazić sobie trzeba co by było gdyby to zrobił i szantażem wymusił posłuszeństwo
1- utrata ogromnej ilości społeczności
2-strata wartości firmy oraz utraty akcji
3-pomoc konkurencji (sony i PC) sporo osób przeszło by na inne platformy
szantażem nie da rady wygrać I tyle najlepiej wykupić wszystko inne i proponować umowy czy po prostu odkupić