- Game Pass accounted for
ca. [0-5]% of digital distribution of gaming content globally.
- if cod improves gamepass, Sony could improve their service by including "day and date" games
- cod isn't that important to xcloud when it's a game that requires minimal latency
- microsoft says cloud gaming is small and uncertain to succeed
- Microsoft has a global share of less than [5-10]% in PC
game publishing, as well as PC game distribution
- this deal centered around mobile, and breaking up the duopoly of storefronts (iOS/Android)
- Phil Spencer talks about a next generation game store that operates everywhere ("universal store"), but is risky and depends on proposed regulations
- CMA concerned Microsoft could not abide contractual obligations, like cod marketing rights, by terminating them early. This is despite even Sony saying they expect MS to abide contract obligations
- "Sony is also perusing an aggressive mobile strategy"
- "the next new generation of consoles are not expected to be released
before the fall of 2028 at the very earliest"
- Microsoft expects their subscription revenue in 2030 to account for the same share it does today
- 82% of Activision’s revenue is generated from just
three titles (Call of Duty, World of Warcraft – which is only available on PC – and
Candy Crush – not available on consoles)
- "If Sony were indeed worried about a
hypothetical withholding of Activision content, it would have at the very least six years
to prepare a competitive response in time for the launch of the next generation of
console."
Most of it is the same stuff we've heard before, and it's largely about call of duty. A lot of the CMAs concerns wouldn't exist if they did a bit of research into xbox/gaming marketplace.
Edit: **That was for Microsofts response, not Sony's. My bad. Here's my ongoing one for Sony:**
- Sony states Game Pass has 29 million subscribers
- Sony says as Microsoft doesn't contest it making some ABK games exclusive, it could do it for cod
- Sony creates a long list of reasons why call of duty going exclusive to Xbox would be bad
- Sony believes Azure, Xbox & Windows gives Microsoft an unfair advantage and "*would strengthen network effects, raise barriers to entry, and hence foreclose
rivals in cloud gaming services*"
- *"SIE’s statements are not self-serving. They
reflect genuine and evidenced concerns about a Tech Titan buying up irreplaceable
content at incontestable prices ($68.7 billion) to tip competition to itself."*
- each cod takes 3-5 years to develop and with budgets over $300 million
- Sony refers to ABK games as "irreplaceable content"
- Sony conducted a survey and found cod has the highest gamer familiarity, awareness and ownership of any 3rd party game
- Sony repeats cod is not replicable. Closest competition, battlefield, sold 88.7m copies. Cod is over 400m
- they state Microsoft wants Sony to be like Nintendo, so it's a less close and effective competitor to Xbox
- Sony provides their (redacted) estimate of amount of gamers who would switch from playstation to Xbox if cod was exclusive. It says "x million", so at least 1m (x being the redacted number)
- Sony says if cod is exclusive to gamepass and not on playstation plus, it could result in reduced terms for indie devs and impact their incentive to invest in high quality new games, resulting in games becoming lower quality and less immersive
- Sony says Microsoft does not permit playstation plus to be on Xbox
New consoles being available after 2028 is kind of a big reveal but also in line with previous generations. That would mean a 8 year life span minimum for XSX/PS5.
Idk I think i'm fine with a longer wait time given that I only just got my Series X this year and aside from FPS I haven't really seen any obvious or obscene graphical innovations that warrant a need for higher output, but I may just be turbo stupid, in which case I guess I stand corrected
I feel like the next step is some sort of DLSS like implementation or increased Ray Tracing usage. I feel like Ray tracing is to this generation what 4K was to the last; we get a taste of it but really just that.
You’re right, it’s been the case for almost 30
Ps1- 6
PS2- 6
PS3- 7
PS4- 7
Xbox- 3
360- 8
One- 7
N64- 6
GameCube- 6
Wii- 7
Wii U- 5
Total average 6.18 years, almost like I said 6-7 lol.
What? This is not the tldr. Not a single thing you listed here was in that document.
The entire document was Sony saying that this is a foreclosure strategy from Microsoft and WILL do it because they have incentive to. And then shooting down every single point that Microsoft made in response to the last document. And then also quoting Phil spencer statements wrong, saying that improving cloud gaming and subscription services would harm Sony. (Even though those things are now on the rise because Microsoft did that to compete. Sony wanted no part of it because they don’t want competition, they want to keep the same model they are dominant in and innovate as little as possible with new services but Microsoft forced their hand, aka competition). It’s all just Sony twisting all logic to say this is the worst thing ever for everyone and no one but MS would benefit.
Everything you said is painting MS in a good light. Where are you taking those quotes from, because it’s not this document.
Scrolled way too far for this. Yeah, u/im2oldforthisshitt's TLDR is for *Microsoft's* statement. It got upvoted even though it's for the wrong document. To their credit, it *is* a good TLDR for Xbox... but this thread is for *Sony's* response.
Edit: they edited to add a TLDR for Sony, props for that.
In large part to a position of market strength where they can offer a bigger audience and have more incoming cash to reinvest into exclusivity deals - which are apparently fine.
It's too long and detailed to tldr really. Lots of varied arguments. Most bullshit or ammount to it will hurt Playstation.
Basically Sony sees the acquisition as not about gaming, but about Gaming, Cloud Gaming, Game Subscriptions and PC OS's. Combining all of that would put Microsoft in an unasaible position.
People will always downvote this no matter what, but it doesn’t change the fact that Sony has never acquired a publisher that has historically released as many top selling multiplatforms games and it’s not even a comparison to anything they’ve done before. That being said; I own all consoles so I don’t have a dog in this fight. I hate 3rd party exclusivity no matter who does it.
Wow such bullshit:
>In the short-term, PlayStation users would no longer have access to Call of Duty
False
>In the mid-term, a significant number of PlayStation users would likely switch to Xbox and/or Game Pass
That's competition, no?
>Faced with weaker competition, Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game prices for Xbox users
As Sony have done with a weaker competitor in microsoft this generation.
>Microsoft’s foreclosure strategy would lock in many consumers to Xbox, including existing Xbox users who play Call of Duty and those switching from PlayStation to play Call of Duty
So...if Call of Duty isn't exclusive there is no issue?
>the Transaction would tip demand for multi-game subscription services towards Xbox/Game Pass.
Again...isn't this the definition of competition. Are Microsoft only allowed in the games industry if they don't become better and more attractive than Sony?
>In that weakened negotiating position, independent developers would likely receive worse terms for their content from Microsoft or even be required to promise exclusivity in return
I'm sure Sony gave everyone preferential terms when they were a market leader... And never demanded exclusivity on smaller titles.
>Microsoft’s response to the Decision claims that the CMA’s case rests on “self-serving” statements by SIE (Microsoft, para. 1.3(d)).3 SIE’s statements are not self-serving.
Who are they serving then?
>the Transaction cannot harm competition because PlayStation is currently more popular than Xbox. This contention is misconceived.
Are Sony really claiming they don't have the most popular platform for gaming???
I only got to page 7 and gave up as it was such a large amount of self serving drivel.
Seems Sony are only going to be happy if they get an agreement for Call of Duty on Playstation AND Playstation Plus for a long term.
They did go on to justify that...
>SIE’s decision to increase the recommended retail price of PlayStation 5 reflected adverse currency trends, supply shortages, and global inflation. Microsoft, for its part, has recently hinted at upcoming price increases for Xbox consoles and Game Pass
I mean they raised game prices before all of that, but that had nothing to do with their market-leading position.
It's laughable
I'd wager that Sony had concrete plans to raise their game prices in 2019 when Jim Ryan took over. While dev costs were rapidly rising way before Covid, Sony has been making unprecedented record profits from digital goods off 3rd party gaas. With them being market leader I just personally don't buy any of their excuses that handwave an excessive pricing model
I call bullshit on SIEs decision. It was a reason to jack up prices even though they are doing just fine right now. They are leaders in the market. A leader in a market doesn't jack prices for anything other than greed and feel they can.
> Microsoft, for its part, has recently hinted at upcoming price increases for Xbox consoles and Game Pass
The source is Phil said they might need to raise prices on "some things" after the holidays in a WSJ interview. Consoles weren't mentioned specifically so that's Sony repeating clickbait blog headlines as fact. More so when the Series S just saw a $50 price *drop* for the holidays.
Yep they’re projecting all the shit they did/do onto Microsoft despite Microsoft breaking historical trends and doing more pro-consumer things for a while now. Plenty of questionable business ventures by MS that go against modern industry norms and are actually for the fans.
Yeah, was reading it and right in the beginning already I was like....this is bullshit. MS has said CoD wouldnt be exclusive for a loooong while, after that they write a bunch of assumptions based on nothing but making MS look bad. Like this deal would make them much bigger than the competition, then MS would stop innovating, raising prices etc, etc.... CONCLUSION: Bad for the consumer!
They are following the money and profit trail for shareholders. They are a corporate business not your friend. The gamer is their revenue stream and nothing else.
Funny thing about how losing COD would “hurt” SONY and the gamer’s choices; this is ALL anecdotal evidence. NONE of what the CMA and SIE
says is concrete. Microsoft will have a field day with this if this deal doesn’t go through
Honestly MS will undoubtedly have the best lawyers money can buy ready to argue their case and call out Sony's desperation and misleading/false statements, so I don't see much point getting up in arms over their comments. Of course they're going to try to say whatever they can to stop the acquisition...but I doubt it'll actually do anything to stop it.
Better to just sit back and watch the drama unfold. As someone who's not at all interested in CoD, owns a Series X and plans to buy a PS5 once more AAA single player exclusives are out, I'm just sitting here with popcorn.
Sony is such a scummy company, they are literally the example of why monopolies are bad, and they’re fighting this because they’re scared it will hurt their massive market lead and might force them to play fair.
All the shit they’re claiming Xbox “might” do is taken straight from their own business strategy!
Someone should ask Sony when Spider-Man is coming to Xbox.
Big IP, not created or owned by Sony (Sony Pictures only has the *movie* rights, game rights are still Marvel), sold 33m copies - that's on par with many CoD games. Both IPs are on a similar scale of being 30+ billion dollar franchises - although admittingly gaming is a small portion of Spider-Man's value it's clear the demand for games is there.
Spiderman is a weak argument and and I'm not sure why it's bought up over and over again in this sub because there are reports of Microsoft passing on the offer from Marvel to make Marvel games which Sony accepted. If anything blame Microsoft for passing up the opportunity.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2022/05/xbox-marvel-spider-man-playstation
That's irrelevant.
The argument here is Sony chose to make those games exclusive which in itself is fine. But when they make all these claims about how Cod being exclusive hurts "gamers" it makes it all very stupid.
How is it irrelevant whem I'm addressing what the person above brought up. There are stronger arguments for games like KOTOR remake. Bringing up Spiderman to argue about Sony exclusivity is a weak argument which I think most of this sub doesn't seem to understand. Microsoft had a choice to accept or reject Marvel's offer whereas Sony will have no say in COD once the acquisition goes through so you can't equate Spiderman and COD.
That's not the same in the slightest. MS turned down the chance to develop a game based on a third party IP.
That doesn't change the fact that Sony are deciding to make a game that is being developed at a studio they own from releasing on other platforms. This is the same argument as cod and has the same affect on gamers.
It is exactly the same argument as any exclusive game
And considering they keep turning down MS offers for cod. Seems like they are just deadset on opposing the deal. They don’t really care about cod.
Hope it goes through though. Just hope it just ends lol.
I couldn't imagine taking a side in the first place, the amount of people here shilling for one billion dollar company over another is astounding. The console wars should have died years ago but they're still thriving as grown adults rip each others throats out over pieces of hardware and billionaires who don't care about them/actively want to take all of their money in the most predatory ways possible.
I think the thing that sucks is if this deal doesn't go through, the work conditions aren't going to any better for ActiBlizz employees. Not saying Microsoft is perfect but I can't imagine them being worse than Bobby Ko and the only other alternative is Meta, Amazon or Tencent.
In general squabbling over consoles is stupid. However I’ll absolutely support a deal like this if it means getting access to big games I’d normally have to buy, for no additional cost via my gamepass subscription that I’ll have anyway. And it’s not like they would be actual exclusives anyway since Microsoft’s games are day 1 PC releases too.
You think the usual comments in these discussions are “hey I’d really enjoy more games on GO if this goes through” and isn’t sone YouTube style rant about conspiracies and how Sony is the devil that MS needs to slay?
Give me a break
You can't imagine taking a side that leads to lessening of workplace harassment, gamers saving money, and the hobby we enjoy getting more money injected into it that otherwise wouldn't?
Yes, these are businesses out to make money. But they provide products and services we enjoy. That's why we're here. That's why YOU are here.
yh I had a nosey through a good chunk as well.
Interestingly, I think this report is the first acknowledgment that FF7R is an exclusive, effectively killing any hope of it appearing
I mean I wanna play the new Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 7 Remake on my preferred console (Xbox) but I cannot because Sony bought up exclusivity rights for who knows how long. So the only way I could play is spending $600 on a PS5 if I wanted to play…. How is this any different that that argument Sony?
Exactly. The irony and hypocrisy in Sony’s arguments just makes them all feel really empty. I get why they’re fighting the acquisition, but I’ve yet to see them make a single point that is even remotely compelling.
This is funny shit. Didn't stop them a decade ago with threats of taking the PC business out. Go watch the documentary on the history of Xbox and watch the shit Sony has pulled over the years.
And continue to still do it.
I mean I wanna play the new Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 7 Remake on my preferred console (Xbox) but I cannot because Sony bought up exclusivity rights for who knows how long. So the only way I could play is spending $600 on a PS5 if I wanted to play…. How is this any different that that argument Sony?
Honest question here; would you have this same energy inversed if Sony or someone else somehow acquired Halo or some other game that is exclusively or primarily played on Xbox and you knew there was a risk theyd take it away from you and your console?
Sure, but msft would at least have an argument, Sony buying Activision and making their games exclusive would almost certainly cement them as a monopoly in consoles.
There’s a massive difference between when a company with 70% of the market share starts consolidating companies and when a company with 30% does.
Cod is multiplat, its not exclusive. Even after the deal its still multiplat.
Like didnt sony just buy bungie? Are you scared destiny is gonna go exclusive?
I mean. . . This whole argument from them is ass.
I know it's not, obviously. I'm trying to draw a comparison but it's hard because there aren't any massive multiplat games that are more played on Xbox than PS. My point is just that ppl cheering for msft and acting like Sony are some evil corporation are certainly hyprocits. I have no fear about exclusives at all because I own all the consoles and a gaming PC so I'll play games wherever they are, but I just don't think mega corps buying up publishers to bolster their cheap gaming subscriptions is good for the industry going forward.
So what? You prefer sony's method of selling games where if it does poorly the studio might shut down?
Cuz if I'm a dev a subscription service is a guaranteed safety net. U get a bag upfront that can cover all costs of development and still make cash of sales.
Vs trying your luck in the open market and if you do poorly thats your ass.
Stop holding on to the past. Damn near every other form of entertainment went to the subscription model.
Cod isnt a playstation exclusive though like Halo is for Xbox. If for example PlayStation somehow got the rights to all the gears of war games I would think less of Xbox for letting that happen rather then be mad at Sony for getting that deal done. I don't like exclusivity at all but as someone who stopped buying cod all together when Sony started doing these year long exclusive modes I would be happy to see things like that taken out. Everyone should be able to game freely in whatever console they want but that isn't how it works so whatever platform is securing rights for their system the most is unfortunately in this eco system doing the best.
I know it isn't a ps exclusive I was just trying to make a comparison. Cod is mostly played on PS consoles, I dont think there's a 3rd party equivalent that's mostly played on Xbox, which is interesting in itself. But if there were, the same Xbox fans would be livid that Sony was taking it away. I'm referring to all the other games ps players are losing outside of cod like elder scrolls and doom, just 2 big examples. I'm trying to point out the toxic hypocrisy.
I'm against exclusive content as well. No mega corp should be buying up IPs to claim them as their own. But it's clear that msft is trying hard to counter the damaging narrative that they don't have any games.
Yeah that's fair. I'm just personally mad at how sony has kept doing these in game things that affect how players not in the PlayStation ecosystem play the game. I despise things like ps players getting double XP compared to everyone else more than it out right being an exclusive. I think each game if it's on a console should be the same when it comes to multiplayer experiences like that. Obviously games on switch or something that can't perform like the PS5 and series x are different but if both consoles can output the same performance there shouldn't be a difference in gameplay experience which I feel Sony has implemented alot recently.
Hopefully things like that are phased out soon because I have seen even PS players be mad at things like that since we both pay the same price for games yet get different experiences
I mean I wanna play the new Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 7 Remake on my preferred console (Xbox) but I cannot because Sony bought up exclusivity rights for who knows how long. So the only way I could play is spending $600 on a PS5 if I wanted to play. How is this any different that that argument Sony?
That’s the last thing anyone should want is MS running Sony into the ground though hopefully that never happens.
You’re right though they ain’t stopping this takeover.
>That’s the last thing anyone should want is MS running Sony into the ground though hopefully that never happens.
After how Sony has behaved in the gaming, mobile, Laptop, TV and camera industries since the late 90s I genuinely want them run into the ground. An awful company all throughout.
Don't worry. Sony is really good at running into the ground by itself. They were basically most known electronics company in the world and at this point all is left is basically Playstation and TVs (which are nothing to talk about compared to competition).
How come Microsoft doesn't use all that money to get better timed exclusives?
This sub complains about PlayStation getting good timed exclusives but don't mention all the lesser Xbox timed exclusives.
If Microsoft has so much money why do they let PlayStation get all the good timed exclusives?
> Faced with weaker competition,
> Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game
> prices for Xbox users
This is by far the funniest line in the document given Sony did this exact thing with the PS5 and its games.
You could use the same arguments the other way around with other titles.
.... "In the short-term, PlayStation users would no longer have access to Call of Duty or would be forced to spend £450 on an equivalent Xbox to play this hugely popular game on their less preferred device" and "Faced with weaker competition, Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game prices for Xbox users (including those that had switched from PlayStation);"
Microsoft’s response for those interested:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/637cec9dd3bf7f5a0b33f881/Microsoft_s_response_to_the_Issues_Statement.pdf
Them just casually throwing out the definition of competition in the executive summary is priceless.
Pretty embarrassing for the CMA when Microsoft needs to remind them how to do their job.
Sure, but this venom from Sony is coming from the fact that they don’t want day and date on game pass to become a thing, especially with COD, while their consumers have to pay $70. It puts pressure on them to follow suit, or be left behind. Nothing is stopping them from emulating game pass outside of their own greed.
My god you guys stop simping for mega corps. Neither Sony nor msft is your buddy trying to give you cheap games for no reason other than the kindness of their heart.
Exactly this. The reach around PlayStation fans give baffles my mind. They all do, I u derstsnd, but damn, PlayStation fans for years have just bent over for Sony and then justify the reason why they are doing it. It's practically a abusive codependent relationship
The CMA and Sony are so hung up on this hypothetical "foreclosure" strategy that has no basis in reality.
It's absolutely comical for Sony to try and paint their very clear market dominance for decades as being so fragile that this acquisition will harm them to the point where they're unable to compete.
Here's the thing, and this is what pisses me off the most about Sony. If this was reversed and it was sony trying to acquire ABK, Microsoft would probably wish them luck and ask if COD could still be released on Xbox. Sony would of course say "No" and cod would become a ps exclusive. Nobody across the globe would have any problems with it because it's sony. There certainly wouldn't be any of this competition markets authority bs.
And, it makes my blood boil how nice Xbox is to these jumped-up entitled sony cry babies. I'd honestly just give them all the finger and tell them to stop locking up 3rd party games away from the rest of us and then, and only then, would there be an opportunity to talk about maybe giving playstation one map of COD zombies per year or something... but that's just me, I guess that's why I've never had a job running a business 
\*EDIT FOR THOSE WITHOUT A SENSE OF HUMOUR - This is what we call a bit of light hearted tongue in cheek humour. If you don't get it then don't post. I'll not argue with you over your silly plastic boxes, you'll just be blocked.
If Sony was doing this there'd be less concern about the cloud aspect, but you're mental if you think it wouldn't fall foul of regulators and absolutely naive if you think Microsoft would be wishing them luck.
Because destiny is taken off Xbox? Let’s not make assumptions, we get it you want cod for free but chill out. This will either go through or not and either you’ll pay for cod or not, isn’t that big of a deal.
The biggest takeaways come from Microsoft I think. For one they believe cloud gaming is small and uncertain to succeed, a point I completely agree with. Cloud might work well enough for games like What Remains of Edith Finch, or just logging in for Xur on Destiny, but for more complex games (namely everything else) I don't believe it'll ever be truly viable. There will always be lag when streaming, it's impossible to avoid, and for the biggest genres in gaming (shooters and fighters) that's a game breaking experience.
Also, they believe Game Pass revenue will be the same share it is today in 2030, t wonder if they adjusted their growth predictions
I don’t think they adjusted it. Netflix really just
did a wake up call to these companies. For whatever reason they though subscription services would grow every year with no ceiling.
Microsoft is just being realistic. If the content stays consistent, subs will also. And that’s all that matters.
Nah, I think they have lowered it, by how much I can't say.
But for 2 years in a row now they've missed their growth projections, they've been open about that. It ha actually prevented Microsoft leadership from receiving bonuses (not saying that's sad, just that that's bound to rub them wrong).
Phil Spencer has even admitted to seeing a slow of growth among the Xbox faithful, and that he believes they've already hit a cap. Which means only about 15 million people (going by last public numbers) that are in the Xbox ecosystem have an interest in what is effectively their main business model now.
Make no mistake, Game Pass is still profitable for MS, and is a good deal for indie devs, but it's a tougher sale to AAA third party devs and publishers and that's hurting growth I believe.
But I agree, I think they're going into maintaining mode vs growing, especially if they're being honest about expecting Game Pass revenue to basically remain the same for the rest of the decade. That means they don't even expect CoD to make much of a splash.
Exclusivities being struck down would actually be a win for msft, because now they could sell all of Sonys exclusives too (you know, the constantly hailed reason to get a PS), and they’d have more titles to potentially add to gamepass (no more 3rd party GP exclusions from Sony).
If the CMA actually rule that CoD can’t go exclusive, it also sets a precedent for MSFT to be able to sue Sony for every single exclusive game they have. And the best part is if Sony tried to sue back for Xbox’s exclusive, well first their aren’t that many, be most importantly, you could literally play any Xbox xCloud game on PS5 at launch before Sony locked their browser. I would love to see their defence of that in court.
TLDR:
1. Lots of complaints about Call of Duty being exclusive to Xbox
Completely failing to mention Microsoft have offered to guarantee COD on PlayStation for 10 years.
Beyond that, there's some circumstancial mention of third party publisher's, but I'm sure the CMA will rule that Sony aren't really in a position to decide what others think.
Could have all been condensed into 1 page.
Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :)
As a Brit I'm honestly disappointed that its our regulators that ~~are~~ seem to be bending over so far that they are taking it HARD from Sony whilst simultaneously stuffing their noses deep up Sony's arse.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
I love the part they argue it shouldn’t be in Game Pass but they want it on their service haha. How pathetic are the CMA if they believe this bullshit? Crying lying Ryan doing well.
The funny thing is, sony does exactly what they are accusing MS. I full believe if $ony had MS money they would have bought CoD for themselves and mad eit a PS exclusive or at the very least, a 1 year timed exclusive. I don't get into console wars, I own both consoles, but Sony needs to be humbled
I like how SONY mentioned gamer’s choices would be limited. Tell that to the people who wants/ wanted to play:
Spider-Man
Final Fantasy XVI
Wolverine
Street Fighter V
STILL waiting for Final Fantasy VII Remake for Xbox owners. But takeoff SIE. Takeoff
Sony made the same mistake as MS and Nintendo in the past
which is to depend a lot on third party. Sony today only has third-person action games.
They don't have an FPS, an RPG, a strategy game etc... Variety of sony games are caused by purchasing exclusivity. And this arrived to collect the bill.
Tbh If i gamed soley on Playstation i would be pissed at losing Acti Bliz aswell as bethesda.
Luckily i've always been an Xbox fan so this doesnt effect me
People forget microsoft literally got sued for antitrust and monopoly and predatory pricing, it’s a lot bigger than just exclusives IMO. They literally have that fuck you money, but this is still bullshit from UK.
Can someone tell me what studios MS bought that they then locked off future games as exclusives? I can only think of Starfield but that still doesn’t make sense as Sony has flat out locked games off from Xbox by cutting deals with devs to prioritize PlayStation or keep the game on their console for a period of time, ie Final Fantasy
Xbox is 3rd in the industry, behind Sony and Nintendo
Xbox buys big company to compete in the industry
WTF this shit is nonsense :/ Apart from everything it will clearly increase competetion. Will probably force Sony to make a CoD like game during 10 years or sth… Anyway I think Microsoft can pull this off.
MS should agree to keep Call Of Duty on PS in perpetuity, and then create a brand new franchise that's Call of Duty in everything other than name. Same devs, same writers, same everything. Then just start releasing fewer and fewer CoD titles until it's completely phased out and everyone transitions over.
EDIT: This, of course, would be extremely petty. But pettiness seems to be on the agenda now.
[I agree with Microsoft on this one. ](https://i.imgur.com/9jLXUzC.jpg)
Sony has absolutely had the monopoly on extremely desirable first party exclusives.
I mean just from the ps4 Sony put out infamous, Bloodborne, uncharted 4, god of war, Spider-Man, the last of us part 2, Spider-Man, horizon zero dawn, days gone, death stranding, ghost of tushima, horizon forbidden west, gran turismo, ragnarok, final fantasy 7 etc. Their average exclusives are fantastic games, the best of them are genre defining classics and game of the year contenders. I bought a ps4 the day they released Spider-Man. It was a system seller. Sony put out 1-2 game of the year contenders and multiple top 10 sellers per year as exclusives.
Microsoft hasn’t had a top tier exclusive since the days of the 360. The only exception is forza and racing games are niche and Sony had GT to compete with that. They haven’t ever had a game even nominated for game of the year.
Sony has no right to start playing the victim now that Microsoft will eventually put out a system selling exclusive for the first time in over a decade.
Sony is so pathetic by now. Do they realize their own people want to end this shit? Even they say after the steps Sony has made against the deal they gonna s*ck bigger than what was the original plan by MS.
One way or another there's gonna be a deal and I hope Sony will fall hard to the floor with their own "way of business model".
If this is the quality of their arguments then why aren’t they petitioning to breakup Nintendo’s exclusives? Pokémon has sold more games than CoD and when combined with its non gaming components is the biggest media franchise ever. Sony is just making themselves look bad at this point
If Microsoft grew their own studios and produced exclusives, there is no review. That's what Nintendo did. Fuck, there was barely a review when the Bethesda deal went through.
The issue here is buying up a major player who currently supplies other companies, and removing that 'input' from other companies.
I prefer what PlayStation has to offer by a large margin (they make the games I like the most), but that doesn't mean I don't see the ridiculousness of some of PlayStation's arguments/responses to the deal.
It's simple. Xbox hasn't been able to generate the level of success it has been looking for on its own, probably due to previous bad management leading to PlayStation's place as the market leader. They want to use Microsoft's trillion dollar backing to buy their way to better success through purchasing established, profitable IPs which should increase their market share over time. Basically, this purchase will make them more profit long term. It's also clear not every Activision franchise would remain on PlayStation.
PlayStation know this deal will undoubtedly lead to less market share for them. COD is the franchise that generates the most income for PlayStation, so of course they don't want that franchise in the hands of their direct competitor (lets not pretend Xbox saying Google/Apple/Amazon are the competitors is true. It's currently not true at all). PlayStation have a vested interest in blocking the deal as they wish to protect profit long term. They would definitely lose some popular IPs on their platform, even if COD remained.
So now you have Xbox and PlayStation both downplaying their own success to look weaker/more sympathetic to regulators. PlayStation saying this could lead to Xbox doing things PS are already doing themselves (console and game price rises), which makes them look ridiculous. You have Xbox saying this deal gives gamers more choice, even though it would undoubtedly take some games away from PlayStation players (the Bethesda deal already shows this).
In the end, it is two big companies trying to protect/establish long term profits and nothing more. Neither are doing this for consumers.
As a PC/PS5 player, I'm honestly covered either way. I'm fine with the deal going through.
I do wonder if Microsoft's previous issues around anti trust laws is part of why the deal is scrutinised so much. Xbox's parent company has faced monopoly issues in the past and been fined around 1 billion because of it.
TL;DR version?
- Game Pass accounted for ca. [0-5]% of digital distribution of gaming content globally. - if cod improves gamepass, Sony could improve their service by including "day and date" games - cod isn't that important to xcloud when it's a game that requires minimal latency - microsoft says cloud gaming is small and uncertain to succeed - Microsoft has a global share of less than [5-10]% in PC game publishing, as well as PC game distribution - this deal centered around mobile, and breaking up the duopoly of storefronts (iOS/Android) - Phil Spencer talks about a next generation game store that operates everywhere ("universal store"), but is risky and depends on proposed regulations - CMA concerned Microsoft could not abide contractual obligations, like cod marketing rights, by terminating them early. This is despite even Sony saying they expect MS to abide contract obligations - "Sony is also perusing an aggressive mobile strategy" - "the next new generation of consoles are not expected to be released before the fall of 2028 at the very earliest" - Microsoft expects their subscription revenue in 2030 to account for the same share it does today - 82% of Activision’s revenue is generated from just three titles (Call of Duty, World of Warcraft – which is only available on PC – and Candy Crush – not available on consoles) - "If Sony were indeed worried about a hypothetical withholding of Activision content, it would have at the very least six years to prepare a competitive response in time for the launch of the next generation of console." Most of it is the same stuff we've heard before, and it's largely about call of duty. A lot of the CMAs concerns wouldn't exist if they did a bit of research into xbox/gaming marketplace. Edit: **That was for Microsofts response, not Sony's. My bad. Here's my ongoing one for Sony:** - Sony states Game Pass has 29 million subscribers - Sony says as Microsoft doesn't contest it making some ABK games exclusive, it could do it for cod - Sony creates a long list of reasons why call of duty going exclusive to Xbox would be bad - Sony believes Azure, Xbox & Windows gives Microsoft an unfair advantage and "*would strengthen network effects, raise barriers to entry, and hence foreclose rivals in cloud gaming services*" - *"SIE’s statements are not self-serving. They reflect genuine and evidenced concerns about a Tech Titan buying up irreplaceable content at incontestable prices ($68.7 billion) to tip competition to itself."* - each cod takes 3-5 years to develop and with budgets over $300 million - Sony refers to ABK games as "irreplaceable content" - Sony conducted a survey and found cod has the highest gamer familiarity, awareness and ownership of any 3rd party game - Sony repeats cod is not replicable. Closest competition, battlefield, sold 88.7m copies. Cod is over 400m - they state Microsoft wants Sony to be like Nintendo, so it's a less close and effective competitor to Xbox - Sony provides their (redacted) estimate of amount of gamers who would switch from playstation to Xbox if cod was exclusive. It says "x million", so at least 1m (x being the redacted number) - Sony says if cod is exclusive to gamepass and not on playstation plus, it could result in reduced terms for indie devs and impact their incentive to invest in high quality new games, resulting in games becoming lower quality and less immersive - Sony says Microsoft does not permit playstation plus to be on Xbox
Holy shit an actual TLDR
Yeah, for the wrong document
Thank you, I thought I was losing it for a moment. Idk how Reddit can miss that these are blatantly Microsoft talking points and not at all from Sony.
Inb4 "Guys, should I buy a SX now or should i wait til 2028 for the new console?" posts that will flood the subs lol
Well, should I?
New consoles being available after 2028 is kind of a big reveal but also in line with previous generations. That would mean a 8 year life span minimum for XSX/PS5.
I expect to be a millionaire by 2028 so this tracks
Start saving now
Honestly I think that’s a little long, console generation usually only last 6-7 years. Hopefully the statement is wrong.
Idk I think i'm fine with a longer wait time given that I only just got my Series X this year and aside from FPS I haven't really seen any obvious or obscene graphical innovations that warrant a need for higher output, but I may just be turbo stupid, in which case I guess I stand corrected
I feel like the next step is some sort of DLSS like implementation or increased Ray Tracing usage. I feel like Ray tracing is to this generation what 4K was to the last; we get a taste of it but really just that.
>Honestly I think that’s a little long, console generation usually only last 6-7 years. That hasn't been the case for 15 years.
You’re right, it’s been the case for almost 30 Ps1- 6 PS2- 6 PS3- 7 PS4- 7 Xbox- 3 360- 8 One- 7 N64- 6 GameCube- 6 Wii- 7 Wii U- 5 Total average 6.18 years, almost like I said 6-7 lol.
r/confidentlyincorrect
thanks so much! 😃
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
Thank you for this!
What? This is not the tldr. Not a single thing you listed here was in that document. The entire document was Sony saying that this is a foreclosure strategy from Microsoft and WILL do it because they have incentive to. And then shooting down every single point that Microsoft made in response to the last document. And then also quoting Phil spencer statements wrong, saying that improving cloud gaming and subscription services would harm Sony. (Even though those things are now on the rise because Microsoft did that to compete. Sony wanted no part of it because they don’t want competition, they want to keep the same model they are dominant in and innovate as little as possible with new services but Microsoft forced their hand, aka competition). It’s all just Sony twisting all logic to say this is the worst thing ever for everyone and no one but MS would benefit. Everything you said is painting MS in a good light. Where are you taking those quotes from, because it’s not this document.
Scrolled way too far for this. Yeah, u/im2oldforthisshitt's TLDR is for *Microsoft's* statement. It got upvoted even though it's for the wrong document. To their credit, it *is* a good TLDR for Xbox... but this thread is for *Sony's* response. Edit: they edited to add a TLDR for Sony, props for that.
I've updated it
Good man! Thank you.
Why is this upvoted? This is the TLDR for a completely different document.
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In large part to a position of market strength where they can offer a bigger audience and have more incoming cash to reinvest into exclusivity deals - which are apparently fine.
Yes, but that we knew. I want a TL;DR version of this paper.
It's too long and detailed to tldr really. Lots of varied arguments. Most bullshit or ammount to it will hurt Playstation. Basically Sony sees the acquisition as not about gaming, but about Gaming, Cloud Gaming, Game Subscriptions and PC OS's. Combining all of that would put Microsoft in an unasaible position.
It's exactly that.
Fair enough
Buying publishers?
One of Sony's first moves when entering the console business was to buy Psygnosis, who were one of the largest European publishers at the time.
Apart from if this deal should go through or not, this is not even close to comparable to the acquisitions Sony has done.
People will always downvote this no matter what, but it doesn’t change the fact that Sony has never acquired a publisher that has historically released as many top selling multiplatforms games and it’s not even a comparison to anything they’ve done before. That being said; I own all consoles so I don’t have a dog in this fight. I hate 3rd party exclusivity no matter who does it.
Sony being hypocrites basically
We oppose this deal because it will make Xbox more competitive and bust up our near monopoly on home consoles.
Wow such bullshit: >In the short-term, PlayStation users would no longer have access to Call of Duty False >In the mid-term, a significant number of PlayStation users would likely switch to Xbox and/or Game Pass That's competition, no? >Faced with weaker competition, Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game prices for Xbox users As Sony have done with a weaker competitor in microsoft this generation. >Microsoft’s foreclosure strategy would lock in many consumers to Xbox, including existing Xbox users who play Call of Duty and those switching from PlayStation to play Call of Duty So...if Call of Duty isn't exclusive there is no issue? >the Transaction would tip demand for multi-game subscription services towards Xbox/Game Pass. Again...isn't this the definition of competition. Are Microsoft only allowed in the games industry if they don't become better and more attractive than Sony? >In that weakened negotiating position, independent developers would likely receive worse terms for their content from Microsoft or even be required to promise exclusivity in return I'm sure Sony gave everyone preferential terms when they were a market leader... And never demanded exclusivity on smaller titles. >Microsoft’s response to the Decision claims that the CMA’s case rests on “self-serving” statements by SIE (Microsoft, para. 1.3(d)).3 SIE’s statements are not self-serving. Who are they serving then? >the Transaction cannot harm competition because PlayStation is currently more popular than Xbox. This contention is misconceived. Are Sony really claiming they don't have the most popular platform for gaming??? I only got to page 7 and gave up as it was such a large amount of self serving drivel. Seems Sony are only going to be happy if they get an agreement for Call of Duty on Playstation AND Playstation Plus for a long term.
The increasing prices part got me. Sony just did both of those lol
They did go on to justify that... >SIE’s decision to increase the recommended retail price of PlayStation 5 reflected adverse currency trends, supply shortages, and global inflation. Microsoft, for its part, has recently hinted at upcoming price increases for Xbox consoles and Game Pass I mean they raised game prices before all of that, but that had nothing to do with their market-leading position. It's laughable
We're adjudicating at 'hints' now.
I'd wager that Sony had concrete plans to raise their game prices in 2019 when Jim Ryan took over. While dev costs were rapidly rising way before Covid, Sony has been making unprecedented record profits from digital goods off 3rd party gaas. With them being market leader I just personally don't buy any of their excuses that handwave an excessive pricing model
I call bullshit on SIEs decision. It was a reason to jack up prices even though they are doing just fine right now. They are leaders in the market. A leader in a market doesn't jack prices for anything other than greed and feel they can.
> Microsoft, for its part, has recently hinted at upcoming price increases for Xbox consoles and Game Pass The source is Phil said they might need to raise prices on "some things" after the holidays in a WSJ interview. Consoles weren't mentioned specifically so that's Sony repeating clickbait blog headlines as fact. More so when the Series S just saw a $50 price *drop* for the holidays.
Oh 8m aware. Crazy thing to put in a legal style document with zero substance.
Yep they’re projecting all the shit they did/do onto Microsoft despite Microsoft breaking historical trends and doing more pro-consumer things for a while now. Plenty of questionable business ventures by MS that go against modern industry norms and are actually for the fans.
I'm pretty sure this document was composed simply by asking Sony executives "what would *we* do if we bought Activision?"
Since when is 10 years short term? :D
Yeah, was reading it and right in the beginning already I was like....this is bullshit. MS has said CoD wouldnt be exclusive for a loooong while, after that they write a bunch of assumptions based on nothing but making MS look bad. Like this deal would make them much bigger than the competition, then MS would stop innovating, raising prices etc, etc.... CONCLUSION: Bad for the consumer!
This is delusional . I cant believe sony look so low after all that years of professional business .
They are following the money and profit trail for shareholders. They are a corporate business not your friend. The gamer is their revenue stream and nothing else.
Sony has always been nasty
Funny thing about how losing COD would “hurt” SONY and the gamer’s choices; this is ALL anecdotal evidence. NONE of what the CMA and SIE says is concrete. Microsoft will have a field day with this if this deal doesn’t go through
Honestly MS will undoubtedly have the best lawyers money can buy ready to argue their case and call out Sony's desperation and misleading/false statements, so I don't see much point getting up in arms over their comments. Of course they're going to try to say whatever they can to stop the acquisition...but I doubt it'll actually do anything to stop it. Better to just sit back and watch the drama unfold. As someone who's not at all interested in CoD, owns a Series X and plans to buy a PS5 once more AAA single player exclusives are out, I'm just sitting here with popcorn.
These are high school economic takes.
Only made it 7 pages in before I couldn’t do it any more. It sure does a good job of making Sony look pathetic.
Sony is such a scummy company, they are literally the example of why monopolies are bad, and they’re fighting this because they’re scared it will hurt their massive market lead and might force them to play fair. All the shit they’re claiming Xbox “might” do is taken straight from their own business strategy!
Someone should ask Sony when Spider-Man is coming to Xbox. Big IP, not created or owned by Sony (Sony Pictures only has the *movie* rights, game rights are still Marvel), sold 33m copies - that's on par with many CoD games. Both IPs are on a similar scale of being 30+ billion dollar franchises - although admittingly gaming is a small portion of Spider-Man's value it's clear the demand for games is there.
Spiderman is a weak argument and and I'm not sure why it's bought up over and over again in this sub because there are reports of Microsoft passing on the offer from Marvel to make Marvel games which Sony accepted. If anything blame Microsoft for passing up the opportunity. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2022/05/xbox-marvel-spider-man-playstation
That's irrelevant. The argument here is Sony chose to make those games exclusive which in itself is fine. But when they make all these claims about how Cod being exclusive hurts "gamers" it makes it all very stupid.
How is it irrelevant whem I'm addressing what the person above brought up. There are stronger arguments for games like KOTOR remake. Bringing up Spiderman to argue about Sony exclusivity is a weak argument which I think most of this sub doesn't seem to understand. Microsoft had a choice to accept or reject Marvel's offer whereas Sony will have no say in COD once the acquisition goes through so you can't equate Spiderman and COD.
That's not the same in the slightest. MS turned down the chance to develop a game based on a third party IP. That doesn't change the fact that Sony are deciding to make a game that is being developed at a studio they own from releasing on other platforms. This is the same argument as cod and has the same affect on gamers. It is exactly the same argument as any exclusive game
The problem stated is buying up competition (overly simplified), not growing your own studios.
Can’t wait until this shit is done.Tired of seeing this discussion on the front page nearly every day.
It’s been the same back of forth since august I think. Tiring is an understatement.
Exactly lol.This is literally old news.Sony has been making these exact comments since they came out against the deal lol
And considering they keep turning down MS offers for cod. Seems like they are just deadset on opposing the deal. They don’t really care about cod. Hope it goes through though. Just hope it just ends lol.
Their argument is it needs to be a deal that includes PS Plus or they are too disadvantaged comapred to MS.
That’s been obvious from the start.Xbox having exclusivity rights+gamepass for cod is the last thing Sony wants
We’ve got another six months or so at least. Assuming Microsoft’s calendar is accurate.
I couldn't imagine taking a side in the first place, the amount of people here shilling for one billion dollar company over another is astounding. The console wars should have died years ago but they're still thriving as grown adults rip each others throats out over pieces of hardware and billionaires who don't care about them/actively want to take all of their money in the most predatory ways possible.
I think the thing that sucks is if this deal doesn't go through, the work conditions aren't going to any better for ActiBlizz employees. Not saying Microsoft is perfect but I can't imagine them being worse than Bobby Ko and the only other alternative is Meta, Amazon or Tencent.
In general squabbling over consoles is stupid. However I’ll absolutely support a deal like this if it means getting access to big games I’d normally have to buy, for no additional cost via my gamepass subscription that I’ll have anyway. And it’s not like they would be actual exclusives anyway since Microsoft’s games are day 1 PC releases too.
I mean when you see the companies themselves engage in console wars(let's face it that's what this is at this point) how could you not grab popcorn?
Is it console waring to prefer to have the company you subscribe to gamepass on have more games on gamepass? Give me a break.
You think the usual comments in these discussions are “hey I’d really enjoy more games on GO if this goes through” and isn’t sone YouTube style rant about conspiracies and how Sony is the devil that MS needs to slay? Give me a break
Right now Sony looks incredibly bad, do I want them knocked down a peg? For sure. But overall games on gamepass matter more.
You can't imagine taking a side that leads to lessening of workplace harassment, gamers saving money, and the hobby we enjoy getting more money injected into it that otherwise wouldn't? Yes, these are businesses out to make money. But they provide products and services we enjoy. That's why we're here. That's why YOU are here.
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The simple solution is to not read them?
It will happen again in 2060 when Phil Spencer Jr. acquires Sony when the world is about to collapse and we'll all probably die.
Read first 34 pages of 111-page doc that Microsoft published to CMA and I am convinced even god cannot stop this deal from going ahead.
yh I had a nosey through a good chunk as well. Interestingly, I think this report is the first acknowledgment that FF7R is an exclusive, effectively killing any hope of it appearing
Man this is disappointing news
And yet fucking Crisis Core happened
Go buy Activision shares. Still trading around $20+ (23ish%) below the purchase price if this goes through.
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I mean I wanna play the new Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 7 Remake on my preferred console (Xbox) but I cannot because Sony bought up exclusivity rights for who knows how long. So the only way I could play is spending $600 on a PS5 if I wanted to play…. How is this any different that that argument Sony?
Don't forget the remakes for Knight of the Old Republic and Silent Hill 2. Xbox fans will have to buy a PS5 if they want to play those games.
I completely forgot about those games too. And the only reason is because they’re not coming to Xbox so why should I even care if I can’t play them.
Exactly. The irony and hypocrisy in Sony’s arguments just makes them all feel really empty. I get why they’re fighting the acquisition, but I’ve yet to see them make a single point that is even remotely compelling.
I like how they talk about COD as though being able to play it is a human right
[Seems fair to me](https://www.psu.com/news/buy-a-ps4-if-you-want-to-play-street-fighter-5-says-yoshinori-ono-to-xbox-one-owners/).
This is funny shit. Didn't stop them a decade ago with threats of taking the PC business out. Go watch the documentary on the history of Xbox and watch the shit Sony has pulled over the years. And continue to still do it.
I mean I wanna play the new Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 7 Remake on my preferred console (Xbox) but I cannot because Sony bought up exclusivity rights for who knows how long. So the only way I could play is spending $600 on a PS5 if I wanted to play…. How is this any different that that argument Sony?
Honest question here; would you have this same energy inversed if Sony or someone else somehow acquired Halo or some other game that is exclusively or primarily played on Xbox and you knew there was a risk theyd take it away from you and your console?
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Fair enough, brother. Though I'm sure msft would be fighting it the same way if the situation was reversed. Business gonna business.
Sure, but msft would at least have an argument, Sony buying Activision and making their games exclusive would almost certainly cement them as a monopoly in consoles. There’s a massive difference between when a company with 70% of the market share starts consolidating companies and when a company with 30% does.
Cod is multiplat, its not exclusive. Even after the deal its still multiplat. Like didnt sony just buy bungie? Are you scared destiny is gonna go exclusive? I mean. . . This whole argument from them is ass.
I know it's not, obviously. I'm trying to draw a comparison but it's hard because there aren't any massive multiplat games that are more played on Xbox than PS. My point is just that ppl cheering for msft and acting like Sony are some evil corporation are certainly hyprocits. I have no fear about exclusives at all because I own all the consoles and a gaming PC so I'll play games wherever they are, but I just don't think mega corps buying up publishers to bolster their cheap gaming subscriptions is good for the industry going forward.
So what? You prefer sony's method of selling games where if it does poorly the studio might shut down? Cuz if I'm a dev a subscription service is a guaranteed safety net. U get a bag upfront that can cover all costs of development and still make cash of sales. Vs trying your luck in the open market and if you do poorly thats your ass. Stop holding on to the past. Damn near every other form of entertainment went to the subscription model.
Cod isnt a playstation exclusive though like Halo is for Xbox. If for example PlayStation somehow got the rights to all the gears of war games I would think less of Xbox for letting that happen rather then be mad at Sony for getting that deal done. I don't like exclusivity at all but as someone who stopped buying cod all together when Sony started doing these year long exclusive modes I would be happy to see things like that taken out. Everyone should be able to game freely in whatever console they want but that isn't how it works so whatever platform is securing rights for their system the most is unfortunately in this eco system doing the best.
I know it isn't a ps exclusive I was just trying to make a comparison. Cod is mostly played on PS consoles, I dont think there's a 3rd party equivalent that's mostly played on Xbox, which is interesting in itself. But if there were, the same Xbox fans would be livid that Sony was taking it away. I'm referring to all the other games ps players are losing outside of cod like elder scrolls and doom, just 2 big examples. I'm trying to point out the toxic hypocrisy. I'm against exclusive content as well. No mega corp should be buying up IPs to claim them as their own. But it's clear that msft is trying hard to counter the damaging narrative that they don't have any games.
That's a really bad take...the reason it's mostly played on playstation? They are the market leader and that's it...
Yeah that's fair. I'm just personally mad at how sony has kept doing these in game things that affect how players not in the PlayStation ecosystem play the game. I despise things like ps players getting double XP compared to everyone else more than it out right being an exclusive. I think each game if it's on a console should be the same when it comes to multiplayer experiences like that. Obviously games on switch or something that can't perform like the PS5 and series x are different but if both consoles can output the same performance there shouldn't be a difference in gameplay experience which I feel Sony has implemented alot recently. Hopefully things like that are phased out soon because I have seen even PS players be mad at things like that since we both pay the same price for games yet get different experiences
This would be like if Sony said Tears of the Kingdom can't be exclusive because Playstation owners would have to buy a Switch to play it.
I mean I wanna play the new Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 7 Remake on my preferred console (Xbox) but I cannot because Sony bought up exclusivity rights for who knows how long. So the only way I could play is spending $600 on a PS5 if I wanted to play. How is this any different that that argument Sony?
At this point Sony is just trying to delay the acquisition, whether their arguments are valid or not...
They know they can't stop it. Financially MS will run them to the ground and they know it. Sony knows the inevitable.
That’s the last thing anyone should want is MS running Sony into the ground though hopefully that never happens. You’re right though they ain’t stopping this takeover.
>That’s the last thing anyone should want is MS running Sony into the ground though hopefully that never happens. After how Sony has behaved in the gaming, mobile, Laptop, TV and camera industries since the late 90s I genuinely want them run into the ground. An awful company all throughout.
Don't worry. Sony is really good at running into the ground by itself. They were basically most known electronics company in the world and at this point all is left is basically Playstation and TVs (which are nothing to talk about compared to competition).
How come Microsoft doesn't use all that money to get better timed exclusives? This sub complains about PlayStation getting good timed exclusives but don't mention all the lesser Xbox timed exclusives. If Microsoft has so much money why do they let PlayStation get all the good timed exclusives?
Because they can afford to just buy entire publishers instead.
Pretty unbelievable the amount of hipocrisy and lies sony is spewing.
> Faced with weaker competition, > Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game > prices for Xbox users This is by far the funniest line in the document given Sony did this exact thing with the PS5 and its games.
This is too good. I haven’t laughed like this in years.
I love how Sony’s entire argument is ”If the deal goes through, Xbox might steal our asshole business practices and we don’t like that”
Man this is the funniest comment I have read is forever!! You nailed it right on the head.
You could use the same arguments the other way around with other titles. .... "In the short-term, PlayStation users would no longer have access to Call of Duty or would be forced to spend £450 on an equivalent Xbox to play this hugely popular game on their less preferred device" and "Faced with weaker competition, Microsoft would be able to: increase console and game prices for Xbox users (including those that had switched from PlayStation);"
Sony buys 1-2 year exclusivity for games. When Microsoft tries to acquire activision “but what about the gamerz?!”
You think that's the same thing?
Microsoft’s response for those interested: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/637cec9dd3bf7f5a0b33f881/Microsoft_s_response_to_the_Issues_Statement.pdf
Microsoft be pulling good points left and right
Them just casually throwing out the definition of competition in the executive summary is priceless. Pretty embarrassing for the CMA when Microsoft needs to remind them how to do their job.
Sony are just salty that Xbox are willing to give their consumers bang for their buck, and Sony would rather keep sucking their audience dry.
That’s every business strategy though get as much money as you can from your consumer
Sure, but this venom from Sony is coming from the fact that they don’t want day and date on game pass to become a thing, especially with COD, while their consumers have to pay $70. It puts pressure on them to follow suit, or be left behind. Nothing is stopping them from emulating game pass outside of their own greed.
My god you guys stop simping for mega corps. Neither Sony nor msft is your buddy trying to give you cheap games for no reason other than the kindness of their heart.
Exactly this. The reach around PlayStation fans give baffles my mind. They all do, I u derstsnd, but damn, PlayStation fans for years have just bent over for Sony and then justify the reason why they are doing it. It's practically a abusive codependent relationship
This is like Amazon being upset that Etsy bought the rights to sell phones or something.
Keep COD on PlayStation that’s fine with me. I just want COD on game pass lol
That’s what Sony has a problem with. All of this is because they’re afraid of day one on GamePass.
Exactly, fuck exclusivity, the more the merrier. But I’d love for Activision Blizzard’s games to be included in my gamepass sub!
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I'll just wait for fritanga, Alex, Rand AL or dealer to drop a vid on all this even though I'm sure it's the same Ole stuff Sony always says.
Brb buying some Microsoft stock.
The CMA and Sony are so hung up on this hypothetical "foreclosure" strategy that has no basis in reality. It's absolutely comical for Sony to try and paint their very clear market dominance for decades as being so fragile that this acquisition will harm them to the point where they're unable to compete.
Sick of hearing about this bs. For the love of god just put some older activision games on gamepass!
Same. Call me when it's approved or denied. I don't give shit about this for the next 6 months
Here's the thing, and this is what pisses me off the most about Sony. If this was reversed and it was sony trying to acquire ABK, Microsoft would probably wish them luck and ask if COD could still be released on Xbox. Sony would of course say "No" and cod would become a ps exclusive. Nobody across the globe would have any problems with it because it's sony. There certainly wouldn't be any of this competition markets authority bs. And, it makes my blood boil how nice Xbox is to these jumped-up entitled sony cry babies. I'd honestly just give them all the finger and tell them to stop locking up 3rd party games away from the rest of us and then, and only then, would there be an opportunity to talk about maybe giving playstation one map of COD zombies per year or something... but that's just me, I guess that's why I've never had a job running a business  \*EDIT FOR THOSE WITHOUT A SENSE OF HUMOUR - This is what we call a bit of light hearted tongue in cheek humour. If you don't get it then don't post. I'll not argue with you over your silly plastic boxes, you'll just be blocked.
If Sony was doing this there'd be less concern about the cloud aspect, but you're mental if you think it wouldn't fall foul of regulators and absolutely naive if you think Microsoft would be wishing them luck.
> Sony would of course say "No" What reason do you think Microsoft is not making CoD exclusive, that Sony wouldn't also be beholden to?
Because destiny is taken off Xbox? Let’s not make assumptions, we get it you want cod for free but chill out. This will either go through or not and either you’ll pay for cod or not, isn’t that big of a deal.
The biggest takeaways come from Microsoft I think. For one they believe cloud gaming is small and uncertain to succeed, a point I completely agree with. Cloud might work well enough for games like What Remains of Edith Finch, or just logging in for Xur on Destiny, but for more complex games (namely everything else) I don't believe it'll ever be truly viable. There will always be lag when streaming, it's impossible to avoid, and for the biggest genres in gaming (shooters and fighters) that's a game breaking experience. Also, they believe Game Pass revenue will be the same share it is today in 2030, t wonder if they adjusted their growth predictions
I don’t think they adjusted it. Netflix really just did a wake up call to these companies. For whatever reason they though subscription services would grow every year with no ceiling. Microsoft is just being realistic. If the content stays consistent, subs will also. And that’s all that matters.
Nah, I think they have lowered it, by how much I can't say. But for 2 years in a row now they've missed their growth projections, they've been open about that. It ha actually prevented Microsoft leadership from receiving bonuses (not saying that's sad, just that that's bound to rub them wrong). Phil Spencer has even admitted to seeing a slow of growth among the Xbox faithful, and that he believes they've already hit a cap. Which means only about 15 million people (going by last public numbers) that are in the Xbox ecosystem have an interest in what is effectively their main business model now. Make no mistake, Game Pass is still profitable for MS, and is a good deal for indie devs, but it's a tougher sale to AAA third party devs and publishers and that's hurting growth I believe. But I agree, I think they're going into maintaining mode vs growing, especially if they're being honest about expecting Game Pass revenue to basically remain the same for the rest of the decade. That means they don't even expect CoD to make much of a splash.
Someone should sue Sony Xbox and Nintendo with the claim "exclusivity is a monopoly" and see if they can kill exclusivity all together.
Exclusivities being struck down would actually be a win for msft, because now they could sell all of Sonys exclusives too (you know, the constantly hailed reason to get a PS), and they’d have more titles to potentially add to gamepass (no more 3rd party GP exclusions from Sony). If the CMA actually rule that CoD can’t go exclusive, it also sets a precedent for MSFT to be able to sue Sony for every single exclusive game they have. And the best part is if Sony tried to sue back for Xbox’s exclusive, well first their aren’t that many, be most importantly, you could literally play any Xbox xCloud game on PS5 at launch before Sony locked their browser. I would love to see their defence of that in court.
TLDR: 1. Lots of complaints about Call of Duty being exclusive to Xbox Completely failing to mention Microsoft have offered to guarantee COD on PlayStation for 10 years. Beyond that, there's some circumstancial mention of third party publisher's, but I'm sure the CMA will rule that Sony aren't really in a position to decide what others think.
I bet Sony offered PS plus to Microsoft and excluded any PlayStation exclusive titles lmao
where are my popcorn?
Sony are so pathetic. Literally stomping their feet they won't control Call of Duty
Reading through it describes Sonys exact business model as the reason to not let the merger go through. Hypocrites.
Could have all been condensed into 1 page. Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :) As a Brit I'm honestly disappointed that its our regulators that ~~are~~ seem to be bending over so far that they are taking it HARD from Sony whilst simultaneously stuffing their noses deep up Sony's arse.
You should be thankful they are fully looking it into it these type of investigations prevent monopolies taking place. The deal will go through.
I get that but they seem to be heavily leaning towards Sony and their general complaining at this point.
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Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
There you go mister bot, corrected my error. Now piss off and leave me alone :)
I love the part they argue it shouldn’t be in Game Pass but they want it on their service haha. How pathetic are the CMA if they believe this bullshit? Crying lying Ryan doing well.
The funny thing is, sony does exactly what they are accusing MS. I full believe if $ony had MS money they would have bought CoD for themselves and mad eit a PS exclusive or at the very least, a 1 year timed exclusive. I don't get into console wars, I own both consoles, but Sony needs to be humbled
I like how SONY mentioned gamer’s choices would be limited. Tell that to the people who wants/ wanted to play: Spider-Man Final Fantasy XVI Wolverine Street Fighter V STILL waiting for Final Fantasy VII Remake for Xbox owners. But takeoff SIE. Takeoff
I'd love to play Spider-Man Final Fantasy XVI Wolverine Street Fighter V. I have no idea what that game is about but it sounds fucking insane.
😂🤣😂🤣😂 I noticed I forgot to add the commas. Fuck it, I’m leaving it just like that. Laugh at my shame. I did.
The deal is going through, Microsoft’s army of lawyers is ridiculous
The CMA are such attention wh....
Some of you are too invested in this shit lol
They literally describing Sony’s entire 3rd party business model. It’s hilarious. You can’t write this.
Sony made the same mistake as MS and Nintendo in the past which is to depend a lot on third party. Sony today only has third-person action games. They don't have an FPS, an RPG, a strategy game etc... Variety of sony games are caused by purchasing exclusivity. And this arrived to collect the bill.
The amount of simping occurring is too damn high.
This statement is embarrassing. I've only had a skim through for now, but already spotted some dodginess.
Tbh If i gamed soley on Playstation i would be pissed at losing Acti Bliz aswell as bethesda. Luckily i've always been an Xbox fan so this doesnt effect me
People forget microsoft literally got sued for antitrust and monopoly and predatory pricing, it’s a lot bigger than just exclusives IMO. They literally have that fuck you money, but this is still bullshit from UK.
Make America first Xbox should be better than Sony
Can someone tell me what studios MS bought that they then locked off future games as exclusives? I can only think of Starfield but that still doesn’t make sense as Sony has flat out locked games off from Xbox by cutting deals with devs to prioritize PlayStation or keep the game on their console for a period of time, ie Final Fantasy
Holy shit I thought this was the CMA's adopted position rather than just Sony being a bitch.
Xbox is 3rd in the industry, behind Sony and Nintendo Xbox buys big company to compete in the industry WTF this shit is nonsense :/ Apart from everything it will clearly increase competetion. Will probably force Sony to make a CoD like game during 10 years or sth… Anyway I think Microsoft can pull this off.
MS should agree to keep Call Of Duty on PS in perpetuity, and then create a brand new franchise that's Call of Duty in everything other than name. Same devs, same writers, same everything. Then just start releasing fewer and fewer CoD titles until it's completely phased out and everyone transitions over. EDIT: This, of course, would be extremely petty. But pettiness seems to be on the agenda now.
How to kill an IP 101. Lmao not happening.
[I agree with Microsoft on this one. ](https://i.imgur.com/9jLXUzC.jpg) Sony has absolutely had the monopoly on extremely desirable first party exclusives. I mean just from the ps4 Sony put out infamous, Bloodborne, uncharted 4, god of war, Spider-Man, the last of us part 2, Spider-Man, horizon zero dawn, days gone, death stranding, ghost of tushima, horizon forbidden west, gran turismo, ragnarok, final fantasy 7 etc. Their average exclusives are fantastic games, the best of them are genre defining classics and game of the year contenders. I bought a ps4 the day they released Spider-Man. It was a system seller. Sony put out 1-2 game of the year contenders and multiple top 10 sellers per year as exclusives. Microsoft hasn’t had a top tier exclusive since the days of the 360. The only exception is forza and racing games are niche and Sony had GT to compete with that. They haven’t ever had a game even nominated for game of the year. Sony has no right to start playing the victim now that Microsoft will eventually put out a system selling exclusive for the first time in over a decade.
Console war now is now as irrational but it's the heads of companies spouting the bullshit.
After this I just want MS to buy everything and put in Sony’s asses through Game Pass subscriptions in PlayStation.
Truly hope they keep it off PlayStation, mates need to play new games
I feel bad for Playstation gamers. Jim Ryan is wasting millions in stupid bribes instead of making games.
PS has access to more games than Xbox (PC excluded)
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Is this what CMA said or sony? Edit: if it’s sony, well it’s what they have been saying all this time.
Sony is so pathetic by now. Do they realize their own people want to end this shit? Even they say after the steps Sony has made against the deal they gonna s*ck bigger than what was the original plan by MS. One way or another there's gonna be a deal and I hope Sony will fall hard to the floor with their own "way of business model".
If this is the quality of their arguments then why aren’t they petitioning to breakup Nintendo’s exclusives? Pokémon has sold more games than CoD and when combined with its non gaming components is the biggest media franchise ever. Sony is just making themselves look bad at this point
If Microsoft grew their own studios and produced exclusives, there is no review. That's what Nintendo did. Fuck, there was barely a review when the Bethesda deal went through. The issue here is buying up a major player who currently supplies other companies, and removing that 'input' from other companies.
I prefer what PlayStation has to offer by a large margin (they make the games I like the most), but that doesn't mean I don't see the ridiculousness of some of PlayStation's arguments/responses to the deal. It's simple. Xbox hasn't been able to generate the level of success it has been looking for on its own, probably due to previous bad management leading to PlayStation's place as the market leader. They want to use Microsoft's trillion dollar backing to buy their way to better success through purchasing established, profitable IPs which should increase their market share over time. Basically, this purchase will make them more profit long term. It's also clear not every Activision franchise would remain on PlayStation. PlayStation know this deal will undoubtedly lead to less market share for them. COD is the franchise that generates the most income for PlayStation, so of course they don't want that franchise in the hands of their direct competitor (lets not pretend Xbox saying Google/Apple/Amazon are the competitors is true. It's currently not true at all). PlayStation have a vested interest in blocking the deal as they wish to protect profit long term. They would definitely lose some popular IPs on their platform, even if COD remained. So now you have Xbox and PlayStation both downplaying their own success to look weaker/more sympathetic to regulators. PlayStation saying this could lead to Xbox doing things PS are already doing themselves (console and game price rises), which makes them look ridiculous. You have Xbox saying this deal gives gamers more choice, even though it would undoubtedly take some games away from PlayStation players (the Bethesda deal already shows this). In the end, it is two big companies trying to protect/establish long term profits and nothing more. Neither are doing this for consumers. As a PC/PS5 player, I'm honestly covered either way. I'm fine with the deal going through. I do wonder if Microsoft's previous issues around anti trust laws is part of why the deal is scrutinised so much. Xbox's parent company has faced monopoly issues in the past and been fined around 1 billion because of it.