Sony reacts to Xbox deal with Activision – expresses fear of PS5 fans
After the unveiling of the possible purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft and Xbox, Sony has now also commented on the subject. The official statement was about the games that Activision also sells on the PlayStation.
What is this deal? In an announcement that rocked the gaming industry, Microsoft announced that it would buy publisher Activision Blizzard. A whopping 68.7 billion should be shelled out for this, which is by far the largest purchase in the history of gaming.
It’s well ahead of previous record-holder Take Two, which bought developer Zynga for $14 billion, and Microsoft’s most recent major purchase. The company bought Bethesda/Zenimax for $7.5 billion in September 2020.
The prospect of the deal also sparked strong reactions from fans, and many are now concerned about the situation with Activision Blizzard games that have previously appeared or will appear on the PS5. These include, for example, Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, but also Call of Duty.
Sony has now commented on the subject and tried to smooth things over a bit.
Sony believes current contracts will remain valid
This is what Sony says in the statement: The statement, published in the US magazine Bloomberg, shows that Sony does not expect any major changes in the immediate future.
In the text it says:
We expect Microsoft to honor contractual agreements and continue to ensure that Activision games are cross-platform.
Sony spokesman via bloomberg.com
Further details are not given.
What does that mean? Sony will most likely have contracts with Activision that affect games like Call Of Duty or Overwatch.
However, the statement can be interpreted in such a way that all deals and releases that are already fixed and that affect Activision are (should) be continued as planned.
In addition, according to Activision Blizzard, the purchase is expected to be completed by the end of the 2023 financial year. Until then, the publisher will continue to act autonomously.
Until then, one or two Call of Duty branches will probably appear, and Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 could also be released by then.
So Sony doesn’t expect anything to change by then. However, it is unclear what will happen after that.
We analyzed the purchase in the podcast:
What does Microsoft say about this? The deal announcement said, “Activision Blizzard’s games are played across a variety of platforms and we plan to continue supporting these communities in the future.”
It is currently difficult to say how the topic will develop in the coming months.
Many assume that Microsoft will then proceed as it did when it bought Skyrim and Fallout developer Bethesda. Existing deals like Deathloop have been kept, but all future releases for major brands are Xbox and PC exclusives and appear in the game pass.
Does Sony’s statement reassure you? How do you think the deal will play out? And what do you think of it in general? Please take part in our survey:
Microsoft plans to buy Activision Blizzard – is that good or bad?
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