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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.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source
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.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source
