PlayStation boss Jim Ryan personally traveled to Brussels last month to discuss Microsoft’s plans to acquire Activision Blizzard, according to a new report.
According to Dealreporter (via VGC), Ryan has spoken with European Union regulators currently reviewing the proposed acquisition and has expressed concerns that his console rival will own the Call of Duty franchise as part of the deal. of the agreement. Activision’s FPS series is one of the best-selling games on PlayStation almost every year, and PlayStation is fearful of losing access to future installments once current offers are honored.
“The brand was the only video game IP to enter the top 10 of all entertainment brands among fans, joining powerhouses such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings,” said the Sony representatives in an earlier statement. to the Brazilian regulator. “Call of Duty is so popular that it influences users’ console choice, and its community of loyal users is deep enough that even if a competitor had the budget to develop a similar product, they mightn’t match it. ”
For its part, Microsoft confirmed that it plans to continue developing Activision franchises for competing console platforms and said it will continue to support Call of Duty on PlayStation “beyond the agreement. existing” that had been established. “It makes no business sense for Microsoft to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation given its leadership position in the console market,” Microsoft said last month.
Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Warzone 2 in 2023, and a new core Call of Duty release in late 2023 will all be available on multiple platforms, including PlayStation.
Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard was announced in January 2022 and is expected to be finalized by June 2023. Europe’s competition watchdog has set a tentative deadline of November 8 to either give approval to the deal. agreement, or start a second phase of investigation which will examine the details more closely.
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