Microsoft claims Sony has no reason to be concerned about an inferior version of Call of Duty launching on PlayStation consoles if Microsoft and Activision Blizzard complete their acquisition.
Microsoft responded to Sony’s concerns that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard would sabotage the PlayStation version of future Call of Duty titles in its most recent submission to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority. Microsoft mentioned a new remedy proposal in its filing that addresses Sony’s concerns about a “worse version of CoD titles on PlayStation consoles.”
Microsoft asserted that its current proposal would actually inspire the Call of Duty publishers and developers to produce an optimised PlayStation version.
“As Microsoft will be shipping CoD on PlayStation in compliance with its remedy commitments… Microsoft will have every incentive to develop games with optimised support for PS5 features, such as haptics, and future consoles in order to maximise sales on the platform.”
Microsoft also discussed the length of its proposed 10-year contract with Sony elsewhere in the document.
“Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to CoD.”
Earlier this month, Sony expressed concerns about the future of Call of Duty in a different document that was submitted to the UK’s CMA. The business was worried that Microsoft might increase the cost of Call of Duty on PlayStation, give the Xbox version more attention, or release a buggy build of the games on PlayStation.
During Microsoft and Sony’s battle over the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty has been the main source of contention. Sony has stated that the proposed 10-year Call of Duty contract will “irreparably harm competition,” whereas Microsoft has signed agreement after agreement to bring Call of Duty to nearly every platform under the sun, including the Nintendo Switch.
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