Call of Duty’s exclusivity has been the focal point ever since Microsoft announced its intention to buy Activision. Sony has been the most vocal in its stance against this deal as it refuses to accept any kind of deal Microsoft has to offer for the FPS title to remain on PlayStation. Amongst the several reasons it has decided not to accept any deal, one stands out: It doesn’t trust Microsoft.
In a recent statement provided to the UK’s CMA (via Gamesradar), Sony said, “Microsoft’s conduct in relation to the ZeniMax acquisition provides additional evidence of why a behavioral commitment should be approached with caution”. The statement also highlighted how Microsoft promised investors that it doesn’t “have intentions of pulling all of Bethesda content out of competitor platforms”.
However, statements from Phil Spencer basically confirmed that the upcoming Bethesda games like Starfield and Elder Scrolls will be Xbox exclusives, while Bethesda’s marketing head, Pete Hines, also apologized for it but said that it was out of his control.
To bolster its point, Sony also pointed out how Microsoft was fined $731 million for tying Internet Explorer to Windows OS, and that Microsoft took full responsibility for it. The Japanese tech giant concluded its statement by saying, “SIE is extremely sceptical that an agreement with Microsoft could be reached, much less monitored and enforced effectively”.
Microsoft has already convinced and signed deals with Boosteroid, Nintendo, and Nvidia to keep Call of Duty on their platforms for ten years, despite the CMA’s concerns about the game running on Nintendo consoles. Despite this, Sony won’t budge as it believes that Microsoft could release a buggy game on PlayStation which could hinder its player base.
Activision Blizzard EVP Lulu Cheng Meservey also mentioned that SIE’s Jim Ryan just wanted to block the merger and wasn’t interested in any deal whatsoever. On the other hand, Microsoft also refuses to sell Call of Duty for the merger to go through, which has resulted in this stalemate that we are witnessing. For now, all we can do is wait for the FTC, CMA, and EU to present their final verdicts on the matter.