business news Microsoft-Activision: Sony speaks on the takeover, something to reassure Call of Duty players?
The day before yesterday, it was only January 18 and we may already have had the big news for this year 2022: Microsoft announced its acquisition of the giant American publisher Activision for the tidy sum of 69 billion dollars! An announcement that had the effect of a real bomb in the industry as some quickly pondered the likely repercussions for Sony. If the Japanese manufacturer had not yet spoken, it is now out of silence: reassuring words?
There are days when a simple piece of news that falls without warning can provoke a real commotion within the editorial staff who are interested closely, even from afar, so much the announcement is thundering and potential sign of hegemony, in the video game industry. Not so long ago, we thought that publisher Take-Two had just made the takeover of the century by buying Zynga’s teams, but, in the shadows, Microsoft was preparing a masterstroke, one of all records for the Redmond firm.
Quickly, the many communities reacted around the world and the speeches followed one another sometimes offering some clarifications. Activision Workers Alliance clarified its positions following the takeover, while Xbox boss Phil Spencer adopted a reassuring tone against the different gaming communities. But there is one that we had not yet heard on the subject: Sony. The manufacturer had been silent since the day before yesterday, despite its tumble in the stock market, preferring to wait until the media madness subsided a little before speaking out.
Sony and PlayStation hold an optimistic speech
By acquiring Activision Blizzard King, Microsoft is taking over quite an impressive catalog of licenses. Moreover, as soon as the announcement of this takeover, it didn’t take long for the craziest fantasies to form in the minds of a large community of gamers. Among the licenses that are a hit, we obviously find Call of Duty, in pole position in the charts and one of the best-selling titles on PlayStation last year: as a result, many have wondered if the famous FPS does not was not going to switch sides.
According to Sony’s spokesperson, interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, there may be a glimmer of hope for Call of Duty fans who were planning to run future episodes on their indestructible PS4 or their shiny PS5. The explanation would be to be found on the side of the pre-existing partnership agreements which currently bind Sony and Activision Blizzard.. To quote the spokesperson, Sony representatives expect ” Microsoft honors contractual agreements and continues to ensure Activision games are cross-platform “.
The principal concerned by this acquisition, namely Activision Blizzard, mentioned during the day that it had no intention of withdrawing its current games from the PlayStation ecosystem following the acquisition.. The publisher intends to honor all existing commitments. In the past, Sony and Activision have entered into agreements resulting in exclusive content, such as game modes, or bonuses within PlayStation versions.
If the status quo could be the norm for a few more years, it is in the slightly more distant future that it is still difficult to project the future of certain licenses, such as Call of Duty, on the consoles of Sony. As VGC mentions in its article, it could be that Microsoft opts for the release of certain Call of Duty games on PlayStation ecosystems, while keeping aside more attractive opuses as an exclusive.. Once the takeover is effective, there is no doubt that this subject will provoke heated debate: see you in June 2023, first!
Through Jinxeb, Writing jeuxvideo.com
PM