The two gaming giants Sony and Microsoft are each speaking poorly about major shooter series. Sony (PlayStation 5) is taking aim at Battlefield from EA, claiming it can’t possibly compete with Call of Duty . It has only one-fifth of the sales of CoD: On the other hand, Microsoft is downplaying the “Call of Duty” series: It’s not that unique. And regarding which console you buy, CoD has only a small influence.
This is what Sony says about Battlefield: Sony’s lawyers state in a statement (via pcgamer):
Other publishers do not have the resources or experience to reach the success [of Call of Duty]. To give a clear example: Electronic Arts (one of the largest developers besides Activision) has been trying for years with the Battlefield series to establish a competitor to Call of Duty.
Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield and despite EA’s experience in establishing successful AAA series (like FIFA, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, and Star Wars: Battlefront) – the Battlefield series cannot keep up. As of August 2021, more than 400 million Call of Duty games have been sold and Battlefield has only sold 88.7 million copies.
What stands out here is the phrasing “just” 88.7 million – that sounds a bit disrespectful towards the Battlefield series.
Microsoft is downplaying Call of Duty
This is what Microsoft says about Call of Duty: In documents published by the British Competition and Markets Authority, one can read (via vg247):
“Call of Duty” games are neither “special” nor “unique” in the sense that particularly a lot of money is spent on them or that user retention is particularly high compared to players who prefer other popular series. […]
Call of Duty does not lead players to decide on a gaming platform. Xbox data shows that between 2016 and 2022 [XX] % of new Xbox players never bought content for Call of Duty and only [XX] % of all players played Call of Duty as their first game on the new Xbox. These numbers do not align with the idea that Call of Duty decides on which platform players play.
The exact percentage figures are redacted in the document.
Microsoft’s response appears to be a statement in response to an input from Sony, in which Call of Duty is described as “essential”, claiming that no one can compete with the shooter giant.
Why are both companies doing this? It concerns the planned purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for 69 billion euros. For the purchase to go through, regulatory authorities worldwide must give their approval.
Therefore, Sony and Microsoft are not arguing according to PR guidelines, where everything must be fantastic, but according to strategic considerations:
- Microsoft wants to emphasize that Call of Duty is not so important that it’s okay for Xbox and Call of Duty to be under one roof – this would not significantly affect the gaming market, which remains open, so authorities can give the green light.
- Sony, on the other hand, wants to highlight that Call of Duty is completely unique and that even “the biggest competitor”, Battlefield, is only one-fifth as large, hoping that a regulatory authority will block the purchase to avoid a concentration of power in the hands of Activision Blizzard.
For months, we have been seeing the sometimes very strange statements from Microsoft and Sony, which sound so different from what publishers usually say about games:
