Thursday, March 23rd 2023
Microsoft Believes That Sony is Capable of Creating its Own Alternative to Call of Duty
Microsoft is still deep into its negotiations with several international regulatory bodies regarding the buyout of Activision Blizzard, with a deadline looming it seems that tensions are rising. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) needs a lot of convincing since it regards the proposed takeover as a serious threat to Sony's ability to compete with Microsoft, with the ownership of the Call of Duty series being a main focus. Sony has expressed concern about the blockbuster franchise becoming a potential Xbox console exclusive in the future - Microsoft has pledged to continue development on PlayStation platforms for a proposed 10-year period, with no technological compromises and a promise to release all versions simultaneously on launch days.
In its latest testimony given to the UK's CMA, Microsoft has made a (slightly odd) suggestion that Sony should figure out a way to make its own answer to the Call of Duty series: "Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty.…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)."
Sony has the budget to expand its first party development studio footprint, but it will take a lot of resources to form a multi-location operation that can operate at the same level as the ones that currently pump out Call of Duty titles on a regular basis. Sony purchased Destiny series developer Bungie mid-last year, which boasts an 800+ staff count, but the studio is an MMO specialist - albeit in first person shooter form. Dutch developer Guerrilla Games is well known for its production of PlayStation exclusives, and has pedigree in making first person shooters in a similar vein to CoD, in the shape of its Killzone series. The last entry, Shadow Fall, was released in 2013 and Guerrilla has moved onto developing the third-person Horizon action role-playing games.
The PlayStation FPS library is by and large shared with other platforms, with the Call of Duty series being a prime example, given that Microsoft is also proposing to expand the reach of the games onto Nintendo consoles. Deathloop was a console timed exclusive on PlayStation 5, but its developer is part of the larger Bethesda group that was purchased by Microsoft in the Spring of 2021. Sony Corporation has $5 billion to spend on new investments in 2023 - it will be interesting to see how much of it can be spent on growing their games development operations around the world. Microsoft has clearly been keeping tabs on their rival's financial strengths, and thinks that their rival has the means to start on a CoD-sized competitor.
Sources:
CMA Documents, Video Game Chronicles
In its latest testimony given to the UK's CMA, Microsoft has made a (slightly odd) suggestion that Sony should figure out a way to make its own answer to the Call of Duty series: "Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty.…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)."
33 Comments on Microsoft Believes That Sony is Capable of Creating its Own Alternative to Call of Duty
No exclusive franchise can grow as big as a multiplatform. It's just as basic as water is wet and fire is hot. This is bad for all the CoD buyers/fans that only has/will have PlayStation without giving anithing that could benefit players/buyers on other platforms.
As shooters go CoD is only one I'll likely not consider anymore.
I still have the first CoD urban warfare on dvd it pretty much sucked.
Exclusives are anti consumer, locking the player down to specific hardware. I have never really had a problem with first party exclusives so much, , but have always frowned upon 3rd party exclusives, the latter of which Sony is doing much more aggressive than Microsoft, depending on how you look at it.
Lots of games I play are still not been released on Xbox, because of Sony making deals to lock then down to PS4/5. Usually from Japanese developers. Microsoft even recently mentioned it in their defence of their takeovers.
Sony locked down FF7 remake for a year on Sony platforms, then intergrade for another period on PS5, after that was allowed on the PC market, but in nowhere to be seen on Xbox. Almost certainly SE have been compensated for that.
Tales of Zestiria and Berseria not released on Xbox. Other examples.
At first I though Microsoft did the good thing and stopped this anti consumer practice, but instead they are taking another approach, they are buying up successful franchises, so they become first party owned. These are still multi platform however, I assume they will make them exclusives at some point though. I dont agree with this and its now changed my view on first party exclusives.
The benefit of consoles is the lower cost of entry on the hardware and that they are designed for exclusively as a casual gaming device. It is interesting people feel instead that the benefit is not the entry cost or the design, but the exclusivity of content. I have always considered the latter as a hindrance, e.g. I love nintendo games, but dont play them as I havent brought a nintendo console other than the wii-u (which they abandoned which then made me abandon nintendo, my decision to not purchase a switch was based solely on this).
Its also the reason I hate Epic as their strategy is exclusivity of content.
Essentially Microsoft have seemingly decided they dont like the risk of making new first party games so much, and instead want to buy successful brands. Its a further regression of the games market, where at one point we had a constant supply of new offline single player games, and new ideas. But now its more and more rehashes of old ideas, games as a service, online and sequels.
These tacticool shooters are boring. Killzone had an interesting story. I think Sony could look back at that. There is also Resistance. Maybe try to fix where they went wrong with Haze and try again?
But playing it safe is good for investors, so they will just keep to that instead.