The Microsoft-Activision Blizzard acquisition is well underway and initial hindrances to its deal were already clarified, but Sony is not yet done with what it has to say. In a recent document from the company, there are claims that Microsoft may soon port "broken" games under the "Call of Duty" franchise over to its gaming platform, PlayStation.
This is despite Microsoft's previous documents and talks with the likes of Sony and Nintendo, assuring the long-term contracts to bring the "Call of Duty" games over to their consoles.
Sony Claims Microsoft May Port Broken 'Call of Duty' Games
Sony Interactive Entertainment and PlayStation submitted a document to the United Kingdom's Competition and Market Authority which presents their concerns on the Microsoft-Activision acquisition.
The Japanese multi-tech company was given a chance to submit its comments regarding the CMA's Remedies Notice, to which it says "PFs (provisional findings) find that Microsoft could substantially lessen competition ("SLC") in consoles and cloud gaming by withholding Activision content, in particular Call of Duty, from its competitors. SIE agrees with the CMA's assessment."
The CMA also had concerns regarding this Microsoft acquisition, centering on the anti-competition laws.
PlayStation to Suffer from Buggy 'Call of Duty'
Additionally, Sony said that "Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game's final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty."
ComicBook Gaming adds that Microsoft-made or exclusive games were already made available to PlayStation before, without significant "buggy" experiences like with the sandbox title, "Minecraft."
Still, it is unknown how the CMA would respond to this recent document, and how Microsoft and Activision Blizzard's case would proceed overseas.
'Call of Duty' and Activision Blizzard
Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard went through significant stages in continuing with its deal, especially as it was first flagged down by the Federal Trade Commission and other international agencies. The merger would bring over Activision Blizzard's entirety to Microsoft, with the software company planning to have it closely related to Xbox.
This acquisition is a massive deal in the gaming world, as the "Call of Duty" games were first exclusive to the PlayStation and PC platforms, which Sony enjoyed for a long time.
A survey conducted before claims that one of the main reasons for buying Sony's latest gaming console, the PlayStation 5, is because of its exclusivity deal with the "Call of Duty" franchise.
Should the acquisition close and set turnover to Microsoft, Sony would no longer enjoy its exclusive "Call of Duty" distribution rights on its platform. The Japanese gaming company also presented its concerns over the games that will be brought to the PlayStation, believing that there may be buggy games or significant malfunctions should it be under Microsoft, a rival of Sony in the gaming industry.
Read also: Microsoft Activision-Blizzard Deal FTC Fiasco: Offered Sony 10-Year Contract for 'Call of Duty'
