Microsoft Defends ActiBlizz Acquisition By Highlighting PlayStation's Dominance Over Xbox

Stop us if you've heard this one before! Microsoft has once again been alluding to PlayStation's dominance in the market as a reason why regulators shouldn't be worried about Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Speaking at the big European Commission hearing this week, Microsoft president Brad Smith threw around some figures about the difference between Xbox and PlayStation in various regions, and even brought out a pie chart!

Here's a bit of what Smith had to say, courtesy of GamesIndustry.biz:

"Think about the market in Europe. It is a market where Sony has an 80% share. Globally, it is about 70/30. In Japan, it is 96/4. These numbers have been remarkably steady for two decades. Even last year, when there were issues with Sony's supply chain, they came back strong."

Of course, the idea here is to try and convince regulators that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard wouldn't have a detrimental effect on the industry. Smith also pointed out yesterday that Xbox has a much bigger presence on PlayStation than PlayStation has on Xbox - the quotes below are courtesy of Tom Warren on Twitter:

"Microsoft has 58 games already running on PlayStation, Sony only has 2 running on Xbox. We've said that if this acquisition goes through, we're happy to make sure that there's a #59 with Call of Duty and no doubt others."

"Sony has 286 exclusive titles, and Microsoft only has 59 on Xbox. Mostly what you see is a cross-platform strategy for Microsoft even before this deal. Now as we look to the future, we believe the future is even more cross-platform than it has been in the past."

Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey was grabbing some attention of her own with swipes at Sony on Twitter, suggesting the company is "trying to undermine the deal to protect its two-decade dominance in gaming."

In particular, the following tweet racked up a lot of views:

It's all kicking off again, then! Even despite the meeting yesterday, Sony has still refused to sign Microsoft's proposed 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but Microsoft's Brad Smith remains a hopeful a deal can be agreed.

"We haven't agreed a deal with Sony, but I hope we will."

"I hope today is a day that will advance our industry and regulation in a responsible way."

What do you make of all this? Let us know down in the comments section below.

[source gamesindustry.biz, via twitter.com]