“Given the immense notoriety of Call of Duty, it is reasonable to think that if Activision-Blizzard games were no longer available on Sony's consoles, PlayStation users might decide to migrate to Xbox or even PC, perhaps. On the other hand, it's also reasonable to think that if the next Call of Duty were to be exclusive to Microsoft's consoles, dedicated PlayStation gamers might simply ditch the series and turn to other franchises. available on their favorite console."
CADE adds: "Despite everything, no one can rule out the possibility that Microsoft deems it profitable to exclusively offer Activision-Blizzard games, even if this decision would involve a loss in terms of revenue, users, and even popularity of Call of Duty. Because in theory, such a strategy would at the same time boost sales of Xbox consoles, expand the number of Game Pass subscribers, and benefit the entire ecosystem Microsoft of a network effect capable of compensating for the losses generated in the short term."
In addition, CADE explains that the exclusivities have precisely enabled Sony Interactive Entertainment and Nintendo to be among the leaders of the video game market. "As has already been noted, Nintendo does not rely on any Activision-Blizzard content to be competitive, it is underlined. It has now been more than 20 years since Sony established itself as one of the major players of the video game industry, with in particular a large user base, an immense installed base of consoles, a robust catalog of exclusive games, multiple partnerships with publishers, and players loyal to the brand. should no longer have access to Activision-Blizzard productions, all these strengths would still allow it to remain competitive. Moreover, it is important to remember that the sole objective of CADE's activities is the protection of competition in order to promote the well-being of Brazilian consumers, and not to defend the particular interests of specific competitors."
Brazil therefore adopts the same position as Saudi Arabia which, last summer, had made it known that it saw no problem with the validation of the operation. If other countries decide to follow suit, then the situation could become seriously complicated for Sony Interactive Entertainment. Moreover, according to the latest news, the European Commission should issue a first opinion on 8 November. If certain gray areas remained, a more in-depth investigation would be launched.
