If you’ve been following the very messy (and very public) fight going on between the two sides sony and Microsoft The fact that Xbox Game Pass subscribers are far ahead of PS Plus tier subscribers right now won’t surprise you.
The news, released last week, is part of new developments in a messy investigation into whether Microsoft should be allowed to buy Activsion Blizzard. As the investigation into whether the deal should have been allowed has been ongoing, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has published Sony’s response to the authority’s statement of questions, and we’ve seen some idiosyncratic back and forth between each company in the document.
Virtually every company is trying to look as small as possible to trick the CMA into thinking it’s right. The result is a lot of posturing and saber-rattling that doesn’t do anyone any good in the eyes of the consumer.
In response to Sony’s claim that Xbox Game Pass’ 29 million subscribers means fewer than its own 47.3 million PS Plus subscribers, Microsoft suggested that PlayStation change its stance on the service’s daily additions – after all, it’s clearly available to Xbox platform holders ,Right?
The crux of the argument is Call of Duty: Sony believes that if Xbox allows CoD, the PlayStation service and platform will take a serious hit, which is bad for the gaming ecosystem as a whole.
In response, Microsoft said – and we’re here to explain – “well, if you’re worried, why not add your game to PS Plus date and date like we did”. Microsoft makes a good point. Here’s the correct (lengthy) quote:
“Furthermore, even if Microsoft succeeds in expanding Game Pass by adding Call of Duty, the CMA must be convinced that Sony cannot respond by investing in or improving its service. It is clear that Sony has a range of options to maintain or improve PlayStation Plus’ competitive position “At the very least, Sony could include additional first- and third-party releases in PlayStation Plus when ‘Date and Date’ releases. Sony’s first-party exclusives not currently included in PlayStation Plus include big names like The Last of Us, God of War, Spider-Man, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. The inclusion of such games will benefit gamers. “
But you can see why Sony is resistant; just last week we learned that Ragnarok is the fastest-selling PlayStation exclusive ever, selling 5.1 million copies in just five days. If PS Plus is the latest, Sony will lose more than 5 million sales. It’s a tough decision to weigh.
Sony’s Jim Ryan explained why the company was against a release date in an investor briefing earlier this year:
“We’re in a virtuous cycle where success begets investment, and investment begets more success, which enables us to make more investments, which hopefully generate more success.” With our AAA titles being subscribing to subscription services, we believe there is a significant risk that the virtuous cycle we’ve built so successfully will be compromised and possibly broken. “
So, does this back and forth lead to anything? Will Sony put an upcoming hit game on its PS Plus service the day it launches? maybe not. As stated at the top of this page, most of the slurs in these documents are concocted with one goal in mind: Sony wants to create enough stink that regulators won’t let Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition go through, and Microsoft Making it look like it needs a massive publisher in order to survive the competition from Sony and Nintendo.
Expect this to get even more chaotic before it ends.
