Call of Duty on PlayStation will continue after Microsoft and Sony reach a deal
Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a deal regarding Call of Duty on PlayStation, leading to a mixed reaction from the community. Some are frustrated by the deal, believing it could have been avoided, while others believe it’s only right that Sony should be able to keep the FPS game. There’s also a debate about whether the disagreement was truly about CoD or if Microsoft wanted the mobile games section, with users expressing hope that PlayStation releases Gran Turismo on Steam.
The news comes after reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took Microsoft to court regarding its acquisition of mobile games publisher Appetite. The deal had allegedly been approved by Sony, but the Japanese company later withdrew its approval.
“Microsoft bought Appetite in order to get Call of Duty on the Xbox One, but Sony blocked it because they have a publishing deal with Activision,” one user summarizes. “They later made a deal with Microsoft to allow Call of Duty to come to the Xbox One in exchange for giving up mobile, which will allow them to make more money.”
While some argue that Microsoft doesn’t need to make its money back quickly because the profit generated by ABK just needs to outpace any interest gathered from the cash they paid, others argue that Sony played dirty.
“Sony doesn’t need to play by the rules,” one user writes. “Microsoft is a public company, and they are beholden to their shareholders. Sony is a private company owned by a Japanese family. They can basically do whatever they want.”
“The FTC took Microsoft to court, not Sony,” another replies. “But Sony was still involved in the court proceedings. I would assume there are some consent decrees that Microsoft has to follow in regards to acquisitions.”
“I hope PlayStation releases Gran Turismo on Steam,” another adds. “I’m tired of this being a console exclusive. I’m also hoping for more aggressive moves from them to compete with Microsoft. Let’s see what they’ve got.”
Many are concerned about Microsoft acquiring more publishers and hope that regulatory bodies will step in to prevent further consolidation. Some wonder whether Microsoft’s acquisition strategy is a problem or if it’s a sign of their resources and market share challenges, with one user jokingly suggesting that “maybe they haven’t bought EA because they’re afraid of being fired by Patrick Söderlund.”
And then there’s the question about whether the possibility of Microsoft acquiring EA or Ubisoft in the future isn’t a joke after all.
“There’s only so much a company can do with a ‘monopoly’ on games,” one user says. “If the games released under the monopoly are bad, Microsoft may face consequences.”
“I hope part of the agreement includes Sony’s CEO wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Phil Spencer is my daddy’ to press events,” another replies.
Some believe that Sony played dirty and forced Microsoft to make these acquisitions, while others disagree.
“Monopolies are good for gamers,” one user says. “If a company is able to make money off of a monopoly, they’ll invest more into the companies they own, which benefits developers and games.”
“This is the Xbox 360 era all over again,” another replies. “Microsoft made anti-consumer decisions during that time, and they’re making anti-consumer decisions now.”
“This is the most heated this subsection has ever been,” one user observes. “People are getting offended by each other for disagreeing about the definition of a monopoly.”
“Monopolies are never good,” another replies. “Cheering for corporations to make more money is not ideal.”
“I got blocked by someone in this discussion,” another user replies. “I said that I disagreed with the term ‘soy boy’ and then got blocked.”
The discussion devolves from there into insults and name-calling.
If you’re looking for more news about Call of Duty and the upcoming CoD2023 season, make sure you check out everything we know about CoD2023. We’ve also got a CoD2023 wishlist of things we hope to see when the next CoD hits the PC.
