Sony CMA states that Microsoft has not honored agreements in the past – Multiplayer.it

Sony male cm extension that in the past Microsoft He has not kept his word to the antitrust authorities, which is one of the reasons, in his opinion, that the agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles in the event of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard proposed by the Redmond giant should not be considered.

In doing so, Sony cites two cases in particular. The first is when the European Commission was on 2004 He accused Microsoft of denying Windows competitors information vital to interoperability, and asking them to share that data at reasonable rates, which the company agreed to. However, Microsoft later violated the order imposed by the European Union by claiming high revenues from the competition, which is why it was fined $1.3 billion.

The second case when you are in 2009 The European Commission has also accused Microsoft of blocking competing Internet Explorer browsers on Windows computers. The Redmond company has struck a deal with the European Union that promises to offer a “browser selection screen.” However, this option was later revoked by using a Windows service pack between 2011 and 2012, prompting the European Commission to fine Microsoft again for $731 million.

Finally, Sony, while specifying that it is not a true infringement, states that when Microsoft proposed the acquisition of ZenMax He stated to the EU that “there is no incentive to end or limit the availability of ZeniMax games on competing consoles”, only to make a Starfield exclusive a few years later.

With these statements, Sony seems to be signaling that, even if it accepts the offer to keep it Call of duty On PlayStation for 10 years, Microsoft could break the agreement and make the games in the series exclusive, even at the cost of paying hefty fines.

This all comes from the document that the Japanese company sent in response to the structural remedies proposed by the Financial Market Authority to ensure approval of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Sony claims that the maneuver would cause irreparable harm to competition and innovation and that the only two ways to avoid it would be to block the acquisition altogether or force Microsoft to sell the Call of Duty brand.