In the latest submission to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, Microsoft MSFT responded to Sony‘s SONY concerns about a possible inferior version of “Call of Duty” being launched on PlayStation consoles if Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard ATVI goes through.
The text claims that Microsoft’s proposal would encourage “Call of Duty” developers and publishers to create a PlayStation version that is optimized for the platform.
According to the document, “Microsoft will have every incentive to develop games with optimized support for PS5 features, such as haptics, and future consoles in order to maximize sales on the platform.”
See also: Microsoft Strikes Another 10-Year Deal To Expand Activision Games Availability
Moreover, the document also suggests that Sony should do its own successful version of “Call Of Duty”: “Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to CoD.”
“The 10-year term will extend into the next console generation … Moreover, the practical effect of the remedy will go beyond the 10-year period, since games downloaded in the final year of the remedy can continue to be played for the lifetime of that console (and beyond, with backwards compatibility),” Microsoft said.
Earlier this month, Sony expressed concerns to the CMA about the future of “Call of Duty” video games, should the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard acquisition be completed.
“Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of ‘Call of Duty’ where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates,” Sony had said. “Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play ‘Call of Duty’.”
Reuters reported that Microsoft could be poised to emerge victorious in its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the European Union.
In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission is still preparing its antitrust lawsuit against the tech giant. However, many analysts believe the lawsuit may be aimed more at extracting concessions from Microsoft than completely blocking the merger, as per Kotaku.
Next: Sabotaging The Merger: Activision Exec Accuses Sony CEO Of Refusing ‘Call Of Duty’ Deal
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