Sony Interactive Entertainment has released a statement claiming that Microsoft was the one who requested to redact information in a document to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). That info concerns details of Microsoft’s offer to release Call of Duty games on PlayStation as a means of placating Sony for the proposed Microsoft-Activision merger. While the exact offer has been blacked out, Sony believes that its offer “will irreparably harm competition.”
Microsoft and Sony legal fight doesn’t look it will end anytime soon
New statement from Sony, says Microsoft’s current Call of Duty offer “will irreparably harm competition” and says it was Microsoft that requested redactions of the public filing of the deal it offered to PlayStation pic.twitter.com/5rztGqTvku
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) March 10, 2023
For some context, this document is the same one where Sony says Microsoft and Activision could make Call of Duty deliberately buggy on PS5 and PS4 to convince players to switch to Xbox platforms. So you can take that as you will. That said, Sony is seemingly playing hardball in a new statement, as reported via tweet by Stephen Totilo on Axios:
Redacted versions of the observations filed by SIE and Microsoft on the CMA’s remedies notice were made public this week. Information regarding the terms of an offer made by Microsoft to provide future Call of Duty releases on PlayStation was redacted at the request of Microsoft. We believe their current offer will irreparably harm competition and innovation in the industry.
This is just the latest in what looks to be a protracted legal battle between Microsoft and Sony over the Activision acquisition. Xbox has argued that the deal would force Sony to improve PlayStation Plus, while Activision accuses Sony of only wanting to sabotage the deal altogether. That said, the merger continues to face a tough challenge in the UK.
