Report: US FTC 'Likely' To File Lawsuit Against Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal

It’s a busy week on this subject 😂
Not sure what the FTC is etc, is it serious or just someone else having ago to block the deal?

Wow lol, if this lawsuit happens then surely they'll be a huge delay in the acquisition until the lawsuit is actually resolved or in worse case acquisition just doesn't go through

Well this deal has took a 180.

I thought the FTC were being far too quiet.

@grumpypotato
I sort of agree with you, it’s been a slow long year for Xbox and not a great one for a few reasons.
Unless next year hits the spot, then surly they need to look at structure and big paid management and VPs.
I don’t know what they all do, but Microsoft seems well a sleep with Xbox promotion and momentum creating. They are getting outsold everywhere and I can only speak for the UK, well over stocking consoles in shops that are not selling and gathering dust.
This will not be a great Black Friday or Christmas for Xbox for sure. Bit of a disappointment year all round 2022.

the FTC apparently hasn't met with any lawyers yet — but the commission is supposedly "skeptical" of the current arguments in favour of the merger going ahead

The whole point of the Regulators and the FTC is to scrutinise and be skeptical about any acquisition of this size, until proven otherwise by the parties involved.

They could have gone after EA, Ubisoft or Sega and Capcom and still have enough money left from the $69 billion to moneyhat third party exclusives for an entire console gen( see Sony's pill). Yet they went for the most contentious acquisition of them all...

Don't think this is going through now...all because ps have overblown it because they are terrified of losing the cash cow that is cod

As someone else said they should now just buy the rights to cod and keep it exclusive because what bell ends Sony (playstation) have been

Would be hilarious if the deal is blocked, then MS just renegotiate with Activision a new CoD deal that means all CoD comes to game pass day 1 regardless of buy out. Then with the remaining $50billion they make GTA 6, Resident Evil 9 etc... Game pass day 1 or exclusive.
As a multi console owner, I think it'll end up worse off for Sony if the deal is blocked. As that $60+Billion dollars isn't going anywhere and will come back with a vengeance in ways that aren't as boringly predictable as CoD.

Man if this deal doesn’t go through there’s gonna be some bad blood between Sony and Microsoft. I was sure this was gonna go through but now I don’t know. I don’t care if it doesn’t as Activision do very little of interest to me but this could have huge ramifications going forward in relation to buyouts.

Crying Ryan should be given a medal for the amount of manure he has produced! He should be the farmers God.
The sheer amount of hypocritical crap Sony has spewed is beyond ridiculous, and worst is the regulators seem to have eaten it all up! Disgusted doesn’t cover it.
If it’s blocked I hope Microsoft use some of that 69 billion to lock down all exclusivity for COD for Xbox for years, day and date on Game Pass with full exclusive content for at least a year before Sony.

Sony, a company running PlayStation which is an entity ENTIRELY built up from exclusivity, bitching about losing exclusivity in the most hypocritical way possible.. purely because they can’t be arsed to compete or offer their customers value and a competing service, a very nasty company showing it’s true colours over this deal.

@grumpypotato To have a shark is to have someone like Ryan in charge, who couldn’t give two hoots about the customer. And especially anyone not on PlayStation. I’d rather Phil and Nadella stay thanks. They are quiet sharks anyway and will hit Sony hard in other ways, ways it won’t see coming I expect.

@themightyant Trouble is though Covid happened. It is still impacting games development. Lockdown put a spanner in the works none of them anticipated and wrecked their schedules. Sony just got lucky but they haven’t exactly had many big games release. Next year will see a raft of big names hit Xbox. But I don’t think we can fairly and honestly say they need to change leadership teams because of this.

I been thinking about the hilarity of the situation here.
There is now a very realistic chance (guaranteed almost) that after all the energy MS invested in this acquisition, Sony will end up with the best version of COD on PlayStation (to quote Jim Ryan) but also for the real kicker, be in full control of the second most popular Fps franchise by owning Bungie.... you couldn't make it up.

@themightyant

Honestly I think there are many people more worried about what Microsoft might do with a $70billion war chest if the deal doesn't go through than if it does

Really?? Well where are they, not on Eurogamer, Polygon, here or the PushSquare echochamber that's for sure. Albeit, these are the gaming sites I regularly visit(OK much less PushSquare) 😁

@themightyant
“ As for Phil Spencer. I think he's a great figurehead for Xbox, but I think they need to replace some of the leadership roles below him in terms of getting out games on time and on budget. Too many slip and too many average releases. Should do better.”

Totally agree with that one, they need to get micro managing and focus development etc.
if 2023 is a soft year for big AAA games or they are below par in overall quality and do not get the general publics attention, then heads should roll for sure.
Also they need to wake up their PR and advertising process. All they do is make one off Dr Who consoles and do a raffle.
Are they that ducking thick to think that helps in anyway at all, with big general public awareness and momentum.
How many times, it’s simple, amazing fantastic AAA games and outstanding PR and advertising.

Phil the below is just some of the Series x stock sitting around UK shop shelves.
And it isn’t shifting. This is just a snippet of total stock not moving.
Also you Series S at the lower price is no better.
And over Black Friday week, pathetic.

In just two years you have managed to stagnate series x and s console sales. Against a 6 year old console and a more expensive console.

You could have not ducked it up much more.

Slough
15+ In Stock
0 Miles
Greenford
15+ In Stock
12.3 Miles
Watford
14 In Stock
13.8 Miles
Farnborough
15+ In Stock
16.5 Miles
Reading
15+ In Stock
16.7 Miles
Staples Corner
15+ In Stock
17.3 Miles
Friern Barnet
15+ In Stock
21.7 Miles
Aylesbury
15+ In Stock

And before anyone says it, replenishment isn’t causing this, they just don’t sell. And UK suppliers are concerned about stock not selling and costing them money.

@Sol4ris Could not agree more with you. Microsoft could have bought a lot of other companies with that money. They could have bought those Square Enix studios for 300M and get Deus Ex, Tomb Raider and more.

sonys the console market leader its baffling to me that the ftc would protect their position as market leader

I frankly cant understand why they wanted Activision in the first place apart from COD everything else is on its last legs and if thats not exclusive whats the point

they should have used the money to buy as @raftos said those square enix studios $500 million for tomb raider etc. buy Ubisoft 15 billion

And if this deal does not go through, it can be much worse for sony. I pretty much agrre with Jez Corden, from Windows Central:

"Microsoft could quite easily create a climate where PlayStation gamers end up deprived of more games than they would have been had Microsoft simply been allowed to complete its acquisition — and there would be little regulators could do to step in here since it would be just business deals between two free companies.

I wrote previously that Sony knows Microsoft won't remove Call of Duty from PlayStation. Minecraft exists as a prime example, pulling in a ton of cash from remaining on PlayStation, and moreover, it isn't the bad guy. Microsoft was hammered by the media for taking a timed exclusivity deal on 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider a few years back, and it hasn't revisited that approach since. However, this whole ordeal could leave it with little choice if it's to remain competitive.

The message regulators could end up sending here is "do business like Sony." While telling Activision employees, "no, you don't deserve better." It also tells fans of Activision's back catalog to accept the endless cycle of Call of Duty, Call of Duty, Call of Duty, to keep the money coming. It suggests little hope for Starcraft, Guitar Hero, Prototype, or other classic franchises to return.

Perhaps most egregiously of all, the CMA seems hellbent on preventing consumers from getting a better deal with Xbox Game Pass — despite the fact that's the body's entire reason for existing. The CMA says PC and Xbox gamers should have to pay $70 for Call of Duty instead of $10. And why? Simply because the market leader opted out of competing. It amounts to a dereliction of duty at best, but that seems to be par for the course every time a government body takes even the vaguest interest in the video game industry.

But hey, if that's what regulators want, Microsoft might play its game. If Microsoft is forced to compete on Sony's terms, it could be a world Sony may find itself regretful to be in."

Full article here: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/why-sony-could-live-to-regret-getting-the-xbox-activision-blizzard-deal-blocked

@trev666 because COD is a HUGE franchise. Same reason they bought Minecraft.

@trev666 oh man, the day embracer announced the deal I was pretty sad, won't lie. I love Deus Ex and would love to play them on game pass.

Not that I don't understand this deal, I do. COD is huge, Activision's mobile games are huge too. But I don't care about their games anymore. It's a deal that brings nothing for me, differently from bethesda's.

@Dezzy70

Mate, I don't want to exonerate Phil Spencer from his shortcomings with Xbox but you need to look at the disparity between PS5 and Xbox Series in the context of last gen.

PS4 outsold Xbox by a big margin, the people and their friends who were happy with their choice of console (PS4) are not going to just flock back to Microsoft. They will prefer to stay with Sony and the PS5.

What we see now is still the legacy of the time when Microsoft decided to take a shotgun to both of Xbox's knees. It's likely they will never reach the heyday of X360 v PS3 with or without your favorite AAA blockbusters. Not going to happen, it's like Coca-Cola v Pepsi 😉

COD is huge but Activision as a whole make 2 billion in profit a year. With a 70 billion outlay frankly i think it could have been invested more wisely

@Sol4ris
I respect your comments and agree they may never reach the 360/PS3 days.

But, it’s like they are not even trying, in the UK and Europe, The PR, Advertising and Momentum is almost general public zero. They are losing shop shelf space and slowly making it harder and harder for themselves to gain any ground.

It’s like they are a sleep or not trying or not bothered. There seems to be no real ground forces troop fighting going on, and just the competition walk all over us and gaining more ground.
Dam weird this new Microsoft with Xbox strategy.

@DukeeDukems minecraft was bought for 1 billion Activision 70 billion bit different

@trev666

minecraft was bought for 1 billion Activision 70 billion bit different

I had the impression Minecraft was 2,5 billion or thereabouts.

Hopefully the deal won't go through. I love PlayStation and I don't want to see PlayStation go away. So obviously I'm in favour of this deal not going through.

@raftos

But hey, if that's what regulators want, Microsoft might play its game. If Microsoft is forced to compete on Sony's terms, it could be a world Sony may find itself regretful to be in

If that's the case, maybe Microsoft will dully oblige and do exclusive third party deals like Sony does for up to 3 years huge franchises and full timed exclusive on the smaller medium ones.

This way they will both compete and no Sony fans will be outraged since this is the model they keep lauding and ecangelize about.

And note: I'm saying this as someone who would never have a problem if all Bethesda's output would be released on all consoles.... But alas.

I think if the deals not going through it means war between Sony and Microsoft. A War that Sony as a company will not go unharmed from!

@Snake_V5 Probably worse for Sony if the deals NOT go through. Microsoft could cut off access to loads of content for Sony as it is and even more with exclusive deals.

if i remember correctly i would cost Microsoft 3 billion if the deal doesnt do through

@themightyant
It’s because overall they disappoint me so much.
And yes it’s in my red circle 🔴, which means I can’t do nothing about it. So I should shut up and forget about it.
But I so wish I could do something about it, I would a one hour interview with Phil to try and understand them 😂😂😂

!still don't understand, why peoples cares about others peoples and companies business!

Personally think that if this falls through Sonys current marketing agreement they have with Activision will be the last they sign.

Still think it will go through in the end with concession.

@Snake_V5 why would PlayStation not exist if this deal goes through? I thought their exclusives alone can sustain them? That’s what PlayStation fans say.

@Mighty90
What worry’s? My only gripe is my disappointment I have with Microsoft.
And I know it’s in my red circle 🔴, which means I can’t do anything about it.
Would love a one hour interview with Phil to try and understand them.

@grumpypotato
Maybe 😂. But would love to get some more serious answers out of him.
Like how far are you on GOWR? 😂😂😂

@Sveakungen Why would it be worse if the deal didn't go through? If it doesn't go through then everything stays the same as its always been.

Nintendo need to pipe up and say that they want COD on Switch and that is what Microsoft said they wanted to do if the deal goes through.

I've been saying exactly this for weeks now, @Sebatrox. In fact, I just wrote the same on Push. If Sony manages to prevent this deal (basically on the basis of CoD), then Microsoft should just buy it as an exclusive title for the next 10 years. They can afford to do so, and I would imagine that there is pretty much nothing that Sony could do about it. Sony buy exclusives all the time, so what can't Xbox...?

@themightyant 2020 prior to Series X|S launch was packed:

• February 2020 - Wasteland Remastered
• March 2020 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Bleeding Edge
• May 2020 - Minecraft Dungeons
• June 2020 - The Bard's Tale: Remastered and Resnarkled
• July 2020 - Grounded (early access)
• August 2020 - Battletoads, Tell Me Why, Wasteland 3

There were also big DLC and content updates (e.g. Outer Worlds DLC and ODST Firefight for MCC in September 2020) in that pre-launch window. Also there was a lot of PC stuff like Gears Tactics in April , Flight Sim in August and most of MCC throughout the year (Reach was December 2019, the rest was 2020).

Honestly it seems like Microsoft's approach is:
1. Big game drought to convince regulators it's fine to acquire a big publisher
2. When acquisition seems likely to pass according to Microsoft, schedule the release of a load of content from existing studios to make room for the big publisher (e.g. January - June 2023)
3. Return to step 1 while putting the big publisher's legacy content into Game Pass when the acquisition goes through

@trev666 Correct, but there will be another 67 billion to spend elsewhere.

@Kaloudz oh boy n4g??? that like the biggest PS community filled with worshippers and crazy stupid fans
just discussing any subject there for 10 min give me a headache

@pip_muzz Too bad playstation already has the marketing rights to resident evil and gta games for that little fantasy to actually happen.

@gollumb82 This deal was gonna be scrutinized by regulators whether sony complained or not, it's one of the biggest purchases in gaming history by a company that's already bought one other publisher in the past 3 years.

My advice to Microsoft:

Pull out of the deal and get the COD marketing rights back when the Sony deal runs out. Not worth all the hassle.

Spend the billions on marketing rights and exclusives, you know, like Sony do. Play them at their own game but use your deeper pockets.

Run your own studios more efficiently to actually get games out in good time and in good order.

@Fenbops
I have never seen anyone say that and neither has you.
Why do you always feel the need to lie so much?
It's no secret that you hate Sony for some reason but it's getting ridiculous with all lies.

@Dezzy70 Out yourself as a massive sony waifu without telling us you're a massive Sony waifu.

@Doublecell Proper businessmen don't think short term. They (xbox) would happily wait 3, 4, 5 yrs then tie up those deals.
waifus would all cry when final fantasy 17 is xbox exclusive lol

@Snake_V5 then u should want the deal to go thru. If it doesn't, we all go backward to thev360 days, where xbox go round hoovering up exclusive deals, content, smaller studios, whole games.

They not have independent ( CMA & FTC )
They became Sony toy , yeah Sony nice play with they… I am really so sorry for the regulatorys

If the deal doesn't go through (it will) does Jim Ryan think Activision will be offering Sony a new cod deal at the end of the current one?...they will head straight to MS with all kinds of exclusivity nonsense and really let playstation have both barrels..

Can't wait until this deal goes through so I can stop seeing articles about it. Don't know why people feel so strongly about defending multi-billion dollar corporations who, at the end of the day, really only care about their profits, not the consumer.

@Sebatrox Xbox devs couldn’t make COD, they’re not good enough!!

@teknium_ that’s why it may not go thro!!

@Snake_V5 whether or not the deal goes through (it will), PlayStation will be fine. No one wants PlayStation to go away. Even hardcore Xbox fans shouldn't want PlayStation to go away because then Xbox would have no competition, which is worse for the consumer as the corporation could then do whatever they please and get away with it.

@Kaloudz @Titntin I agree PushSqaure can be pretty toxic, but so can almost anywhere on the internet. Don't act like this site is any different, many comments in this article are examples of that. PushSquare has quite a bit of a larger user base so there's bound to be more toxicity, but there's also more tame conversations and debates over there.

@Kaloudz Maybe you don't find this site as toxic because people generally match closer to your viewpoint here than they do on PushSquare. You're definitely guilty of toxicity yourself, just look at your comment from yesterday when you called Sony "morons".

@NeutronBomb
I sometimes don’t care much for Sony as those on Push Square have seen me moan about them.
This is about Microsoft and Xbox.
And don’t blame me, Phil told everyone he is playing GOWR. 😂

I know what would upset Sony much more than Microsoft buying Activision, and that would be them buying the likes of Square Enix and Capcom. If Sony manage to prevent this deal going through, if I were Microsoft, I'd heading straight to those two Developers/Publishers, as well as seeking a 10 year Call of Duty exclusivity deal. All Sony are trying to do is protect their own business, which is absolutely fair enough, but they are not playing nice, and I would seek to play by their rules if they do scupper the deal. $68 billion can buy a lot of smaller developers and exclusive deals...

@Kaloudz I agree with your definition. I would also add that name calling and mocking people's appearance (which was a big part of the comment section on this site yesterday, in regards to Jim Ryan) is also toxic. That's flaming and trolling and hating just for the sake of it. So my point is that this site is no better.

I can't speak for N4G because I don't even know what that is, but I'm not disagreeing with you about the toxicity at PushSquare. But like I said, larger user base and I also find more pleasant conversations there. Unfortunately, you have to weed out the toxicity everywhere but you can almost always find some good people to have good discussion with.

Edit: Kind of unrelated but I just went and checked out N4G to see what it is. I hated the layout of the site from the first second I saw it. I don't see myself ever using that site lol.. so I'll remain ignorant to the toxicity of that site, but I'm sure you're right that it's bad.

@Kaloudz there are definitely fanboys on here. A guy who calls himself Banjo, he comments a lot an every other comment is pulling Playstation or slagging Playstation, even wen the article doesn’t even mention Sony or Playstation!! I eventually pulled him, asked him why Playstation lives in his head rent free?? Well that was it!! He attacked!! Calling me a pony an wat not. I told him i have both PS5 an XSX an Switch too. He went on telling me how crap PS5 is. I told him i actually prefer PS5 as the exclusives are on another level. He accused me of having a mental illness!! I left it at that but every comment i saw of his ffom then on slating Playstation i just commented with 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️😂😂😂. I don’t see him anymore so i’m guessing he clicked the ignore button.

@raftos
I was excited when Embracer made the acquisition. Eidos Montreal is now rumored to be working on a new Deus Ex. Not excited about the acquisition itself, just that Deus Ex may have a new lease on life. Square Enix didn't seem to be doing anything with it. Also I could easily see it coming to game pass day 1.

@themightyant couldn’t have said it better, well done. MS much like any company has some area’s to get better in and i believe they will, but keep in mind, MS went from 5 studios to like 25 almost over night. So there is going to be some growing pains in managing and getting the timing of the projects in a row etc etc. not trying to give them excuses, just saying it’s to be expected a little but they need to show big gains of improvement in 2023 and beyond. Personally i think they will, now the bigger question i have is will the games be above average and in some cases great? Cause when a Zelda, Mario, God of War or Last of us comes out we gamers know what the quality in those franchises represent, wether they are games we buy and play or not is subjective, but the quality of the title is undeniable. Xbox needs 2-3 of those. For me in the 360 days that was Gears of War. That was my game, loved it solo and loved it in Co-op and Multiplayer with friends. But since the trilogy those haven’t hit the same for me. Any ways great points you made and thanks for a well rounded view of what is normally a hard topic for people to be fair and sensible on.

The issue I have, @Titntin, and what I consider not 'playing nice', is the hypocrisy of their statements to the various Investigators. They claim they cannot compete without CoD, but seriously, who buys a PlayStation to play CoD? You buy a PlayStation to play what are effectively their AAAA (when compared to any other game) home grown exclusives.

Sony claim that Microsoft are attempting to foreclose Sony. Seriously? Microsoft has absolutely no intention of doing so, and even after the acquisition goes through, Sony will still be the biggest gaming company, and Microsoft will only move up to third. It's simply not possible to foreclose a company from a less dominant position. You need to be the market leader to be capable of doing that, and that position is held by Sony, and will remain so after the acquisition goes through.

Sony complain that should the deal go through, they are concerned that they won't have parity when it comes to CoD. Well, firstly, Microsoft have offered parity for the next 5 years (that may have now increased to 10 in line with their offer to keep the game on the PlayStation for at least the next 10 years (and does anyone actually believe Sony would have made a similar offer were roles reversed?)). However, secondly, and deeply hypocritical, there hasn't been parity with CoD for many years now, because Sony have paid to have content exclusive to the PlayStation since the PS4 era began.

Sony have stated that they are concerned for Gamers that should this deal go through, that because of the positive effect that this would have on the Xbox, that the price of the Xbox would increase, as would the price of games. Seriously? This is precisely what Sony has just done. Why? Because they can! They are the market leaders, and they know that demand won't be affected when they increase the prices of games and consoles. Then they have the gall to suggest that Microsoft might do the same?

In doing what Sony are, they are attempting to protect their market dominance. They want to remain the market leader for this and future generations. I absolutely understand that, and there is nothing wrong with attempting to do so. It is all about the bottom line, after all. However, it is the duplicity and hypocrisy of their statements that gets me. Anyone that genuinely believes that Sony are trying to protect gamers is deluding themselves. Sony are out for themselves (as is Microsoft) and that is absolutely understandable; you go into business to make money, after all, and so whilst you could easily think that Sony are being altruistic in their efforts to stop the deal, in reality, that is far, far from the truth.

There are other examples of the hypocrisy, but I don't want to labour the point. Not 'playing nice' refers to the manner in which Sony are attempting to scupper the deal...

@Neverwild you mustn’t read all of my comments because I criticise both. Am I slightly biased in one direction, yes, but most people are, it’s easier to laugh at Sony in recent years as they are the ones continually shooting themselves in the foot. Also I’ve seen Playstation fans saying they don’t need COD. I don’t care if this deal falls apart, Activision are garbage.

@Kaloudz I see where you're coming from, too. But banter that is completely unrelated to the topic and is at the expense of other people I think can fairly be categorized as toxic. That seems like spitting negativity by reflex.

We'll just have to disagree about the toxicity level of this site but that's okay, not everyone has to agree with everyone on every topic. The fact the you (a PureXbox user) and I (a user of both, but mainly PushSquare) are able to have a level discussion is highlighting the more important picture here, that thankfully the toxicity can be avoided, even when in disagreement. I just wish more people on these sites could recognize that.

@NeutronBomb IF you think sqaure enix a company that doesn't put their games on Xbox even now would ever put FF exclusive on Xbox then I have air that I would like to sell you. As long as playstation is the market leader in consoles they will always be able to make those deal period.

@Akimi yeah, you're right, at least it's not in SquareEnix hands anymore. Let's hope it comes to game pass!

@Sebatrox maybe they will if actiblizz goes under & has to sell off it's IP's I just hope someone good gets spyro & crash & doesn't let them die

@Sol4ris push square has plenty of opposing viewpoints this is more of an echo chamber it's basically just a big circle jerk with a shrine to Phil Spencer in the middle

@Would_you_kindly you must not have seen the latest Phil Spencer article here. All 4 posts so far are criticising him 🤣 so what you say doesn’t make sense.

Well that's it, I am done with Sony for life. Screw them, if they want to deny us a good thing, then I want nothing to do with them. Jim Ryan has turned it into a brand that is literally poison for the industry.

@grumpypotato Yeah I agree that Phil has been looking too soft lately. The guy needs to stop worrying about what makes him look likable and actually fight for what it best for the consumers.

@bpomber PlayStation won't be fine, you heard what Sony said. They said that if it goes through then they won't be able to compete, I'd imagine they know what there talking about. Like Sony said, Activision must remain independent.

@Would_you_kindly

push square has plenty of opposing viewpoints this is more of an echo chamber it's basically just a big circle jerk with a shrine to Phil Spencer in the middle

Wow I'm in total shock at this coming from you, total, I tell you.😅.

By the way, according to the Iranian government plenty of opposing viewpoints are tolerated there too. The amount of fanboy flaming on PushSquare from Sammy alone makes a mockery of what you claim buddy, however, as you were😒..

@Snake_V5 hahaha that’s funny. Keep on defending them though, the cheque is in the post I’m sure. Not sure what they are meant to compete with though? I mean according to Jim Ryan their entire platform exists due to COD and Microsoft offered to guarantee that game on PlayStation for 13 years at least.

@Would_you_kindly And you are trolling.

@Snake_V5 The thing I don't get is why the FTC would be so concerned about foreign companies to the point where they will actively try to hurt the only US company that has a major presence in the entire gaming industry. You would think American interests would come first. It is like they are trying to hurt the country and it's economy. An odd move from an organization that is supposed to be protecting it.

Okay, I'll except a few people will only play Call of Duty on the PlayStation, @themightyant, but how many are we speaking? The numbers will honestly be pretty insignificant, truth be told, and if they ONLY played CoD then they would still be able to do so because it would still be on the PlayStation.

You are mistaken regarding the parity, because this is what Microsoft said:

In full, Microsoft's new statement reads: "In January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements." This means future Call of Duty titles won't have any content exclusive to Microsoft platforms, and they'll release on the same day and date on Sony machines.

The above was taken from an article on this very site.

Absolutely agree that they are both 'at it', but I think it fair to say that Microsoft are being forced into making statements in order to defend themselves and the acquisition from the statements being made by Sony. Neither party is covering themselves in glory here, but Sony are slinging as much mud as they can in the hope that some of it sticks, and they appear to be being successful, at least to some extent. It's not a good look for either company, but I would say that Sony are the ones that look particularly desperate, and exceptionally hypocritical as well...

@themightyant

No they haven't. They said they wouldn't take it away from PlayStation, but that isn't parity. If it was included in Game Pass at no added cost, vs £70 on PlayStation that gives Microsoft a HUGE advantage amongst the masses

I keep seeing this point (the day one inclusion of COD on Gamepass) being used to defend or agree with Sony’s position on the takeover by a growing number of people and whilst I'm not disputing it's validity or merits, I have a genuine question:

Let's say hypothetically Bungie will make Destiny 3 and Sony decides that it wants to have the game day one on PS+ Extra/Premium, with all the extra bells and whistles for that best experience on PlayStation the term Jim Ryan likes to use v £70 on Xbox. What can then Microsoft do against the HUGE advantage Sony has with the masses?? Since Destiny is not some niche game nobody heard of albeit not as big as COD.

And no, the whole Bungie will still be multiplatform shtick holds as much water as any claim Microsoft makes about the future of COD, likely even less since the Bungie takeover has been completed.
The fact that this potential outcome is ignored completely, looks to me like double standards.

Blessing in disguise.

@Sol4ris very different in terms of general appeal. Cod is a multi million £ seller, as where destiny is a pile of dog that no one really cares about.. haha

I accept that there will be some that buy a PlayStation just to play CoD, @Titntin, but my point was more about the numbers that do so. I would be very surprised if the percentage of PlayStation gamers that bought a PlayStation to ONLY play Call of Duty was very high at all. People are persuaded to buy a PlayStation because of its superb first-party offerings, and the fact that it is the market leader, much more than because it has CoD.

As for these 'three agencies' that you mention, I assume that you are referring to the various regulators. I never said anything about them, nor any comment regarding companies dancing. I absolutely agree that their work is important, and I truly hope that they are totally unbiased in their findings. The only one that thus far has shown any potential bias towards Sony is the UK regulators, who have stated that they are concerned regarding the impact this will have on Sony, which is not what they are supposed to be doing. Their investigations are supposed to establish what affect the acquisition will have on the industry, not on one particular company within that industry. As for the tweet from the European guy, and his 'my PlayStation' comment, that is a complete load of tosh as he has no involvement in the European regulators investigation or decision making. That was a lot of fuss over nothing.

Ultimately, there is no need to feel sorry for me. I own all three consoles (only bought a Switch last week, so new to that party), and a high-end gaming PC. I'm covered no matter what the outcome. That's not to say I don't have any bias, we all do, no matter what a protestations, but I do believe in the right to make a comment, and to have an opinion, no matter whether others might disagree with it.

@EquiinoxGII

very different in terms of general appeal. Cod is a multi million £ seller, as where destiny is a pile of dog that no one really cares about.. haha

I didn't say they were the same in general appeal, but your claim about Destiny being a pile of dog is just that, a pile of dog.

@Sol4ris completely understandable comparing an online gaming site to the Iranian government 🙄🙃

@S1ayeR74 how am I trolling I'm simply replying to someone that says push square is an echo chamber with my opinion that this site is more of an echo chamber & this comment section is a perfect example of it 😂

So they MIGHT be suing them. They aren’t actually doing it. Alright this is the US government we’re talking about, I expect a lot of bluster but no action, and if they do do anything they’ll likely cock it up.

@BaldBelper78
Well I have an Xbox but thousands in the UK are ignoring Xbox and being honest we now why.
Game pass might be good value to a point.
But UK mainly go look big AAA new flashy games and also where the main FIFA and COD are played and that is PlayStation.
And until Xbox get big flashy AAA games, maybe some COD deal in the future and better PR and more trendy they will never get close to Sony or even Nintendo now in UK or Europe.
They need to get their heads out of USA trends and get in the UK and Europe mindset.
Like they did in the Xbox360 days like they did before, when Xbox was massive and proud in the UK.

@BaldBelper78 well yeah that's why my login is shared across all 3 the sites have different users though

@trev666

Facts

Overwatch 2 and mw2 are dissapointing games. Diablo 4 looks to be another one. It seems MS only wants studios that are falling off the handle.

@BaldBelper78 Couldn’t agree more with you, but, Sony is a different company all round, they fired most of the board, closed PlayStation offices globally and moved it all to the US, it’s not just Ryan who should go.

@themightyant

where to start on Bungie.

1) that’s whataboutism at its finest

Right, so we have a non answer to the thorny day one release on Sony’s subscription service v £70 on Xbox (not dissimilar to Microsoft)

2) Regardless Sony’s acquisition of Bungie was pretty unique in that it was specifically set up so that Bungie retains full creative control and publishing independence so THEY, not Sony, decide where their games are published. And Bungie’s statement said they intend to keep being multi-platform

Again,all of the above is binding until Sony decides that's no longer to be the case, since they are the sole custodians of Bungie.

Now for my piėce de rėsistance, while plagiarising a famous fictional Lord's quote:

I find the faith of people in company A and the lack thereof in company B, disturbing - deep iconic breathing 😉.

Have a good day hombre.

Whilst I get your point regarding parity, @themightyant, I don't believe it to be correct. Microsoft have offered parity for the game, meaning exactly the same game will be available on the Xbox and the PlayStation on exactly the same day. Plus it needs to be borne in mind that that is not the case at present, as Sony have secured the superior version every year for close to a decade now, and often earlier access too, so this is actually a fairly big offer on the part of Microsoft who will actually own the game, but not make that beneficial (as such) to the Xbox community.

So, what does this mean? It means that those playing on the PlayStation will still be able to buy the game for £70/$70 each year (for the next 10 years apparently) just as they do right now. The same applies to those on the Xbox. It will be exactly the same game, released at the same time, for the same price. That is parity, and is what is being offered. So effectively, absolutely nothing changes for those playing the game on a PlayStation, other than them having the superior version of the game.

Now, I get that you see the game releasing on the Game Pass as not offering parity, but in terms of the actual game, parity is what is on offer, and in all honesty, because Sony is the market leader, I truly do not believe that they would offer Microsoft the same deal, were the situation reversed.

The game will undoubtedly release on the Game Pass. I believe this is the main reason that Microsoft are purchasing ABK. Also undoubtable, is the fact that this will, to some extent, hit Sony's bottom line. Some people will leave the Sony platform and find a new home on the Xbox, but I would be surprised if a substantial number of people completely leave PlayStation because of the other fantastic first party games that Sony offer, many of which are just too enticing for people to leave. What is more likely, is that people will either buy an Xbox or PC on which to play, whilst also retaining their PlayStation.

Sony's bottom line will be hit. I don't think anyone can deny that. However, they are the market leader by some margin. I believe they last said that they had 45 million active users, whereas Sony have just revealed that the Xbox Game Pass has 29 million subscribers. You would need to see a substantial number of people (and by that I mean multiple millions) move from PlayStation to the Xbox for that gap to be significantly closed, and that just isn't going to happen. There aren't enough players on the PlayStation who solely play CoD for the scales to be tipped in favour of the Xbox. However, I do believe you will see a possibly significant rise in the sale of Xbox consoles, particularly the Series S, which will then be used as a secondary console (primarily for CoD), which in turn will be to the benefit of the Xbox. So I am not denying that this will be good for the Xbox, not so good for the PlayStation, and potentially very good for the Switch, but ultimately, this is precisely why Microsoft are attempting to buy ABK.

Your point on subscribers is fully understood, @themightyant, but that is not what I was getting at. I wasn't comparing subscribers to subscription services. The point I was getting at is that the install base is far larger on the PlayStation than it is on the Xbox, and thus were a few thousand, or even a million gamers to migrate to the Xbox, the PlayStation would still have the largest install base. I was using the figures provided by Sony as an example of disparity.

As for having CoD on the Game Pass influencing the console choice of gamers, that is exactly what Microsoft are hoping for. It is also precisely why Sony pay for all the bells and whistles to be added to CoD, and why they are desperately trying to stop this deal. They are the dominate force in gaming, and they want to remain so. Perfectly understandable, but let's be fair about this, if it's okay for Sony to do it, surely the same can be said of Microsoft? I would also not be at all surprised if, were Sony be successful in stopping this deal, they would seek to put CoD on their own version of Game Pass. They already pay a likely fortune to get all the extras they already do, and with their clear good relations with ABK, I can see them attempting to do so (bear in mind that they did not have their own subscription service when they last negotiated the contracts with ABK).

As for whether or not other companies could begin the subscription service, I would dispute this. The Xbox Game Pass is now a beast, but it started out like a relative wet fart. It has taken Xbox 5 years to grow it to its current standard. Simply looking at Sony's version and saying they simply cannot compete is utterly erroneous. In 5 years time, Sony will likely have an equally compelling, if not superior service to the Game Pass. By then many of it's huge franchises will be fully available on their service, it'll be the place to go for Final Fantasy and other Eastern gems, and I would not be at all surprised if Sony start to include their first party games on to the service on the day of release. Given time, it will be a fantastic service. Indeed, in 5 years, you may see something offered by Tencent or the like too.

In relation to the offer of parity, I think there is a strong likelihood of you being right; it is not necessarily something that Xbox wanted to do, but felt compelled to do in order to get the deal across the line.

I also agree entirely that it is nice to have an adult conversation. Having seen some of the comments on this site and elsewhere, it is clear that that cannot always be relied upon...

One thing that's interesting to observe is that everyone hates Jim Ryan. This guy has actually created some common ground in the withering console wars. Also, if Sony is 'winning. It's because they are able to make popular games and get them out the door in a timely manner. MS is finding that this ability is not something that you can apparently just buy wholesale. Don't worry, I have harsh words for Nintendo too. Up thru the Wii U/3DS gen, Nintendo was a very interesting and creative player. But after that, they sold their creative soul to the devil for the 'success' of the Switch. Nintendo is now devoid of any spark or creative joy. They've been milking the Wii U era Mario Cart for what feels like almost a decade now.

I absolutely agree with you that buying ABK is not the worst that Xbox could have done, @themightyant. Indeed, if they do lose out on this deal, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Xbox decide to go after a smaller Developer/Publisher, that would likely cost a great deal less. The likes of Capcom and Square Enix come immediately to mind. Not because I think this would hurt PlayStation gamers the most, though it undoubtedly will, but because both have huge franchises that would benefit the Xbox ecosystem. So if this deal does fall through (and at the moment, who knows which way the pendulum will swing?) and Xbox are still keen to splash the cash, there are a great deal of other companies they could see to buy instead. Heck, they might even be inclined to buy a majority stake in FromSoft, which would really put the cat among the pigeons...

You are doubtless right, @themightyant. I was just throwing stuff out there as to what Sony might do in the event that they were successful in preventing the deal. I doubt they would put CoD on their service, but I'd be surprised if they didn't explore the option. Imagine if they put it on the their top tier; just how many more top end subscribers would they get that were new to the platform, and how many more would upgrade the tier that they are already subscribed to? I get that it is a golden goose for Sony, but they only get a percentage of the sales, but the boost to their platform by putting it on their Games service would be simply incredible. Ultimately, because of the fantastic first party content that Sony offers, I think more people would be inclined to abandon the Xbox and head over to the PlayStation, than the other way round.

Anyway, I'm about to do exactly the same. I think I must be approaching the end of Ragnarök, and then I'll be watching the footie later too...

Come on England!!!

@Dezzy70 idk here in NJ in the states, you can find a ps5 at pretty much any store, hell i bought one at 7pm lastnight on blackfriday meanwhile you cant find a series X anywhere.....