Jim Ryan, the head of gaming at Sony Group Corporation, referred to an offer made by Microsoft Corporation to keep the “Call of Duty” series available for a limited period on PlayStation as “inadequate.”
Xbox manufacturer Microsoft made the announcement in January that it would be purchasing “Call of Duty” developer Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI.O for $69 billion. The company has also made a commitment to maintain the popular game on PlayStation beyond the terms of the agreement it now has with Activision.
Ryan claimed in a statement that Microsoft “has only promised for ‘Call of Duty’ to remain on PlayStation for three years after the existing arrangement.”
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According to Ryan, “Their idea was poor on many levels, and they failed to take into account the impact it would have on our gamers.”
The public disclosure of a private discussion takes place at the same time as moves by Microsoft and Sony to safeguard their game pipeline through a flurry of acquisitions. These moves come in response to the fact that developments in technology threaten the platform operators’ preeminent position.
According to a statement released by Britain’s antitrust regulator a week ago, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard may be harmful to the industry if Microsoft refused to offer competitors access to Activision’s best-selling games.