Earlier this year, the gaming industry was shaken by the news of Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. for less than $69 billion. The largest video game store in history is currently being scrutinized in selected countries by regulators to determine if the acquisition would monopolize the gaming market if approved.
Now we are getting interesting information from behind the scenes of the process itself. Statements from leading technology and gaming companies regarding the said acquisition appeared on the Resetera portal, which at the request of regulators in Brazil. These include Amazon, Apple, Bandai Namco, Google, Meta, Nuuvem, Riot Games, Ubisoft, Warner Bros and Sony. While the vast majority of companies have a neutral attitude to the acquisition and, in principle, have no problems with this, therefore Sony makes arguments in its statementby which they try to indicate that if the acquisition is approved, Microsoft may have a monopoly position at least in some points.
Your arguments based primarily on the Call of Duty brand, which should also go to Microsoft after the deal is approved. Sony officials say that over the years, the Call of Duty brand has essentially created its own category that no existing brand can compete with. Sony justifies this statement by the number of units sold of individual parts, a long-standing fan base, development budget, or the number of developers involved in the development of the series.
“This brand is the only video game series to be ranked in the top 10 by fans of all entertainment brands, ranking among mind games such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.
Further, representatives of the company add that the popularity of Call of Duty is so great that it would not hurt so that end users can influence their choice when buying a game console. In addition to the Call of Duty series, Sony is also focusing on the growing popularity of Game Pass, whose subscription market share could further increase thanks to contributions from Call of Duty and other brands. Currently, Game Pass accounts for approximately 60-70% of game subscriptions. In Brazil, even 70-80% of the PC market is currently expected. Despite significant investment, Sony says it will be several years before a worthy competitor to this service from Microsoft emerges.
So Sony is trying to point out, especially in the case of Call of Duty and Game Pass, that it a certain monopolization of the market may occur if the acquisition is approved. We’ll see what side the regulators end up taking. It should also be noted that for Sony, and therefore the PlayStation, the loss of Call of Duty would mean, in addition to the aforementioned problems, a significant loss of income, which the company generates annually through contractual interest from each copy sold.
Source :Indian TV
