The epistolary joust which opposes Microsoft to Sony continues to gain in intensity, the two giants opposing their arguments through the media and press releases interposed.
The latest development comes from Microsoft, which addressed to the Competition and Markets Authority, while the Federal Trade Commission recently seized a judge to prevent the takeover of Activison-Blizzard. In its latest press release, the Redmond firm explains that “ Sony has more exclusives than Microsoft, and often of better quality« .
This last part may seem quite ironic, but for several months, the two publishers have been pointing the finger at the fact that the competitor is better, to justify/block redemption. That said, Microsoft relies on solid arguments: Exclusivity strategies are not uncommon in the video game industry, and other markets. Both Sony and Nintendo, however, have exclusive games that are among the best-selling in Europe and worldwide. In addition to having its own exclusive content, Sony has also signed contracts with independent publishers to demand the exclusion of Xbox from the platforms on which they distribute their games.“. To go into even more detail, Microsoft explicitly mentions Final Fantasy VII Remake et Final Fantasy XVI (Square Enix), Bloodborne (From Software) as well as Silent Hill 2 Remake (Bloober Team).
These last two examples are not the best in the world, because Microsoft negotiated exclusivity from The Medium, the latest game from Bloober; otherwise, Bloodborne is a licensed by Sony, so it seems normal that it is restricted to the PlayStation. That said, one can indeed wonder regarding the notable absence of the latest projects Final Fantasy on Xbox, showing well collusion between Sony and Square Enix. In the same vein, we will remember the remake of Demon’s Soulsannounced on PC before a sudden retraction from Sony.
Already last August, Microsoft accused its competitor to pay blocking fees to to deplete the Xbox catalog, and PC gamers can only see the truth of such a statement. For years, Sony has prided itself to be ” the best place to play« , mainly thanks to a particularly exclusive catalogue. The recent takeovers, like Bungie’sshow the Japanese manufacturer’s desire to consolidate its achievements, even sacrifice cross-platform playability.
In recent months, however, it should be noted that Microsoft reached out to Sonyespecially with license Call of Duty. The FTC continues to take a dim view of the hypothetical monopoly of the American giant, without really taking into consideration the players who have been for years deprived of headlines. Let us also remember that Elder Ring, Horizon Zero Dawn or Death Strandingalthough finally available on PC, suffered from ports particularly mediocre.
In the end, it appears that anti-consumer practices be in Sony’s camp, no offense to certain state authorities…
