Xbox chief and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer says Sony’s opposition to the Activision Blizzard deal comes down to the PlayStation maker wanting to “protect its dominance in consoles.” “The way they’re growing is by making Xbox smaller,” Spencer said in a recent Second Request podcast (Through Eurogamer).
Sony opposes Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard and has focused on the future of Duty in filings with regulators. “Sony is leading the dialogue on why the deal shouldn’t go through to protect its console dominance, so what they’re latching on to is Duty,” says Spencer. “The world’s largest console maker objects to the one franchise we said will continue to appear on the platform.”
“Sony is leading the dialogue on why the deal should not go through to protect its dominant position”
Microsoft signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo Duty available on Nintendo consoles when the Activision Blizzard deal closes. That could possibly lead to it Duty first released on the Nintendo Switch.
Or Duty arrives on Nintendo consoles or Xbox Game Pass is currently hanging in the balance, after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched a legal challenge to try to block Microsoft’s plan to buy Activision Blizzard. Regulators in Europe are also scrutinizing the deal, with the EU set a March 23 deadline to complete its in-depth investigation and make a decision. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is also conducting a more thorough investigation into the deal.
