The process of the takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft continues. In a new statement from Microsoft, it is stated that several major games will not be released for Xbox due to Sony.
The situation in brief:
- In early 2022, Microsoft announced that they want to buy the publisher Activision Blizzard for 69 billion US dollars. It was to be the largest acquisition in the history of the gaming industry.
- However, over the course of the year, problems emerged. The competitor Sony and several authorities expressed their opposition to the takeover.
- This was followed by a heated debate, during which the two console manufacturers attempted to downplay their own games while presenting the IPs of the opponent as large and important.
- Sony insisted that Call of Duty is unparalleled in the shooter genre. Microsoft referred to the major IPs of Sony, which are already exclusive.
Sony blocks Final Fantasy XVI and Silent Hill 2 Remaster for Xbox
This is what Microsoft says: Microsoft has now released another statement, in which it referred to the fact that exclusivity has a long history in gaming.
Both Nintendo and Sony use their brands to navigate the market, according to MS. Their exclusive games are among the best-selling worldwide. This includes titles like The Last of Us, Spiderman, Super Smash Bros, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
At the same time, Microsoft pointed out in the statement that Sony likely uses its contracts with third-party developers like Square Enix, FromSoftware, or Konami to intentionally keep their games away from Xbox. The statement reads:
[…] In addition to the actual exclusive content, Sony also enters into contracts with third-party publishers that require the exclusion of Xbox from the selection of platforms on which the publishers can release their games.
Some well-known examples of these agreements are Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix), Bloodborne (From Software), the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), and the recently announced Silent Hill 2 Remastered (Bloober team). […]
These reactions exist: It is widely known in the gaming community that Sony likes to secure a lot of exclusive content through contracts. New in the statement is that Xbox is specifically excluded, along with references to the upcoming games FFXVI and Silent Hill 2 Remaster.
Microsoft’s statement continued the old discussion of whether it’s acceptable for Microsoft to also acquire exclusive titles, as Sony and Nintendo have done before.
- Part of the community says that Sony is now feeling “their own strategy” and is only resisting because they do not want to lose their status as market leader.
- Another part says that Microsoft is a much larger company than Sony and that they are playing in completely different leagues. The acquisition of Activision Blizzard would demonstrate this.
A third party is completely against such large acquisitions like the Activision purchase, regardless of who makes them. They argue that these are bad for the industry and especially for the customers.
The top comment with the most upvotes on reddit on the subject says:
It is funny to watch Sony and Microsoft fans argue and defend multi-billion dollar companies, while it is the customers who are getting screwed over.
HorrorPositive on reddit (5059 Upvotes)
What is your opinion on the subject of exclusive titles? Do you think they are good and right, or should they be completely abolished, regardless of the developer? Let us know in the comments.
