Sony has leveled criticism towards Microsoft once more, this time becauseStarfieldwill be an Xbox-exclusive game. The process, that’s verging on becoming a feud, continues in front of the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority agency with Sony’s latest statement disparaging the decision to releaseStarfieldas an Xbox console exclusive.
Sony has made several statements both in front of the European Commission and the CMA in connection with trying to prove Microsoft can’t be trusted withCall of Duty. As of the writing of this article, Microsoft has signed four deals to bringCall of Dutyto various different platforms for the next 10 years. The companies in question are Nintendo, Nvidia, Boosteroid, and Ubitus, the last two both being cloud-based gaming providers. The same deal was offered to Sony, but it hasn’t accepted it yet. The deals' validity depends entirely on whether Microsoft manages to buy Activision Blizzard. Sony has consistently tried to block this deal with by providingevidence for why it thinks Microsoft will mishandlesuch a large brand asCall of Duty. The FPS is considered to be one of the biggest pulls for PlayStation players, so Sony understandably fears losing it.
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The evidence Sony used to back up its statement was a comment made by Microsoft, saying it would “not have the incentive” to makeStarfieldan Xbox exclusive. At the same time, Bethesda made no previous commitment withregard toStarfieldbeing releasedon PlayStation or any other platform since the publisher was purchased by Microsoft. But to Sony, this counts as proof towards the factStarfieldcould’ve been a multi-platform release, therefore Microsoft will go back on its word the exact same way when it comes toCall of Duty. It’s also worth noting that historically, PlayStation has released more console-exclusive games than Xbox. Even if only the previous generation of consoles are compared, the PlayStation 4 has had 299 exclusive games so far, while the Xbox One had about half of that.
Thanks to Microsoft’s investment in PC gaming, itsXbox exclusives are also released on PC. At the same time, PlayStation only recently started to release its previously exclusive games on PC and the list is hardly extensive. These details will likely be something the Competition and Markets Authority agency will take into account, but which company it will favor with its decision is hard to tell.
The affected parties have the entirety of March to submit various statements and evidence to support their side. The final decision can be expected after April 26, and many will be interested to see whetherSony or Microsoft emerges as the winner.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X.
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