Microsoft It claims that Sony will benefit from the addition of first-party games for PS5 and PS4 to catalog PlayStation Plus since launch. The statement appeared in official documents sent by the Redmond giant to the Brazilian Antitrust Agency, which these days decides whether or not to approve the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
As you probably know, CADE has asked Sony and several publishers, as well as Microsoft itself, for their opinion onAcquisition of Activision Blizzard and potential risks of monopoly. The result was somewhat of a back and forth distance between Sony and Microsoft.
Sony said it puts the acquisition in a bad light that Call of Duty is unmatched and that Xbox Game Pass is growing a lot. In response, Microsoft has pointed the finger at exclusives on PS5 and PS4 and accused the Japanese company of paying to prevent the games from being published on Xbox Game Pass.
Another passage discovered in documents sent to the Brazilian antitrust includes Microsoft’s considerations on PlayStation Plus, where it states that both gamers and Sony will gain advantages in including PS5 and PS4 exclusives in the service catalog since launch.
The document sent by Microsoft to CADE reads: “Sony can further take advantage of the high quality of first party games by making them available on PlayStation Plus on launch day.”
“This strategy may be able to rapidly accelerate the growth of the service’s user base in response to competitive pressure from Game Pass (or any other service) and [la strategia] It has not been endorsed by Sony, even when it comes to the new PlayStation Plus (in reference to the extra and premium layers). Such a move by Sony could make PlayStation Plus more attractive to rival any competitor publisher’s strategies in favor of gamers.”
Does Microsoft advise Sony? No, rather like a Japanese company that draws water from its own mill. Perhaps the Redmond giant wants to prove to Brazilian officials that Xbox Game Pass is not a far-fetched service and that PlayStation Plus can compete on an equal footing if Sony changes its policies on first-party games.
In March, Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said that releasing PS5 exclusives at launch on PlayStation Plus would reduce the quality of games.
