The debate is over, everybody put the pitchforks down. The higher-ups have spoken, and Microsoft didn’t win. Believe it or not, Microsoft isn’t all that confident in its gaming exclusives, especially when paired up with PlayStation’s offerings. The console war that’s raged for the better part of everybody’s lifetime has finally had some action.
Recently, there’s been a big debate between big-wigs and lawyers, discussing Microsoft’s potential mega-acquisition of Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion.
This acquisition could possibly mean a massive change in exclusives, most likely tipping the balance in Microsoft’s favor. Despite Microsoft spending almost $100 billion on the product, they must be strapped for cash.
Microsoft’s motto seems to have changed to “You got to cop a punch to land a punch,” as the company has been copping some friendly fire.
The sympathy card has been pulled, and Microsoft has laid it flat on the table in attack mode (no, Yu-Gi-Oh! isn’t exclusive to either company).
In the documents recently shared with the public, Microsoft shared this acquisition would in fact help the company compete with the likes of Sony and Nintendo. As Microsoft dodges fairness commissions left and right, the tech giant is trying to portray itself as a mere drop in the pool of technology and gaming, struggling to compete with the big dogs.
Microsoft claims Sony’s exclusives are “better quality,” hopefully bringing a tear to the eye of the people processing the fairness of their acquisition.
The goliath amongst other goliaths, Microsoft, said: “Both Sony’s and Nintendo’s exclusive first-party games rank among the best-selling in Europe and worldwide. Current Sony exclusive content includes prominent first-party titles such as The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War, and Spider-Man.”
Sharing is caring, and Microsoft doesn’t seem to care. “In addition to having outright exclusive content, Sony has also entered into arrangements with third-party publishers which require the ‘exclusion’ of Xbox from the set of platforms these publishers can distribute their games on,” the tech giant said in the Nov. 23 doc.
The Xbox vs. PlayStation wars continue and there’s lots more drama to ensue.