With Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard expected to be investigated further by the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority and other European regulators, the Sony company is happy to see the investigation continue after doubling down on the concerns it has for market competitiveness.
In a statement released to GamesIndustry.biz, a Sony representative said the company “welcomes the announcement” by the U.K.’s CMA to continue the investigation after finding in its phase one ruling that the acquisition “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the U.K.”
“By giving Microsoft control of Activision games like Call of Duty, this deal would have major negative implications for gamers and the future of the gaming industry,” Sony said in the statement. “We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality gaming experience, and we appreciate the CMA’s focus on protecting gamers.”
In a statement responding to Sony’s comments, Microsoft doubled down on its commitment to keeping CoD on PlayStation, saying that it “makes zero business sense for Microsoft” to remove the franchise from PlayStation “given its market leading console position.”
This supposed commitment has been a hot topic as of late. Earlier this month, Xbox head Phil Spencer released a statement that he had sent a signed commitment to keep CoD on PlayStation consoles “for several more years beyond the current Sony contract.” But less than a week later, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan bashed the promise from Xbox, saying that Microsoft only offered to continue releasing CoD on PlayStation for three more years after the current deal.
An in-depth investigation by the U.K.’s CMA is expected to start this week, and the acquisition is expected to be investigated more by EU regulators, according to The Financial Times. The deal is also still being investigated by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
