In a lengthy document submitted to the Brazilian government as part of its investigation into Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has claimed Sony pays developers “blocking rights” to prevent games from appearing on Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft’s response is as wide-ranging as Sony’s initial objections, touching on everything from the fact it has previously managed to grow Game Pass without Activision Blizzard’s titles – suggesting Call of Duty mightn’t be quite as “essential” as Sony claims – to a reiteration of its assurances that it won’t be making Call of Duty an Xbox console exclusive.
Microsoft says Sony’s concerns are “incoherent”, given that, by virtue of PlayStation’s dominant market share, the company is a leader in the distribution of digital games – especially when, as Microsoft claims, Sony has actively hampered the growth of Game Pass by paying for “‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services”.
Assuming Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard buyout doesn’t fall foul of regulators, the process is anticipated to conclude by next summer.