(Pocket-lint) – Sony has backed away slightly from its stance on Microsoft’s Xbox acquisition, thanks to recently revealed comments provided to the Brazilian regulator looking into the deal.
Unlike some other processes, all information provided to the Brazilian regulator must be made public, which allowed some vigilant Resetera users to reveal Sony’s thoughts.
The answers he provides have a wide range of contexts, but some particularly poignant sections deal specifically with the importance of Call of Duty and how it affects the console market.
In particular, Sony has effectively scaled the franchise massively, accurately describing it as the biggest gaming franchise that has huge resources behind it and routinely sells in huge volumes.
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He calls the game “core” and says the brand is so powerful that it almost certainly influences gamers’ choice of console when they come to buy. This is obviously aimed at the possibility of Xbox making COD a console exclusive at some point down the line.
The document in question, which you can access from the list here, is in Portuguese, labeled “Sony Email (Resp. ao Of. 4108/2022 + procuração)”, but it translates quite neatly and contains some interesting insights into just how Sony is looking at COD (or at least how much it wants it to be perceived as such).
What this means for the regulator is hard to gauge at this stage – but it could affect Xbox in some way. We know that the next few COD games will appear on PlayStation consoles due to existing contracts, and Microsoft has indicated that it may continue after that, but nothing is certain.
I had good conversations this week with Sony executives. I have confirmed our intention to honor all existing agreements in our acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022
It’s hard to say whether that still rings true years from now, but it’s something regulators will no doubt be considering in multiple jurisdictions as they look at the Xbox-Activision deal.
Written by Max Freeman-Mills.
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