The PR blitz is in full force as Microsoft aims to complete their proposed Activision-Blizzard acquisition. Xbox lead Phil Spencer was recently on the second request podcast earlier this week and discussed all things Activision-Blizzard and had a few choice words for Sony.
When asked about the importance of Call of Duty in the regulatory discussions, Spencer said “There’s really only been one major opposer to the deal and that’s Sony. Sony is trying to protect their dominance on console. The way they grow is by making Xbox smaller. They have a very different view of the industry than we do. They don’t ship their games day and date on PC. They don’t put their games in the subscription when they launch their games.”
Spencer adds more thoughts, including promising Call of Duty on Playstation, why it doesn’t make sense to removed Call of Duty from other platforms, and his confusion on why regulators are worrying so much about how this will impact Sony.
These comments by Spencer are very honest from his honest and coincides with a Microsoft that is pulling all the stops to get this deal done. We will have to wait and see how regulators respond and if they buy Microsoft’s point of view.
This has been a disappointing PlayStation generation. They won’t even commit to making next gen exclusives until 3 years into the generation. Also don’t forget they couldn’t even be bothered to do a showcase this year.
I think it’s obvious that, after last gen, Sonys ceiling is 120-130mil consoles sold. They aren’t going to grow and grab more gamers so they have to drain the wallets of their current fan base. In order to do that, they have to try to prevent gamepass from growing because it will hurt their software sales, which they will need since hardware will stagnate again at 120-130million.
Instead of thinking of ways to grow the industry, they’re only thinking of ways to prevent actual innovative ideas from hurting them.
Sony could easily do what MS does with Gamepass and make obscene amounts of money. Why they refuse to do so is a great mystery to me. As always, the industry is changing and Sony is being dragged along kicking and screaming.
It is and it also predictably isn’t. Their current model is working too well for them, and they don’t want to legitimize the subscription model which could entail increasing investments and diversifying their 1st party. They’d rather double down on what they have + attempt to slow the growth of competition than try to compete with it themselves.
They literally had a service exactly like Gamepass, but they chose not to include their own games day one (and never really put the good and/or current versions of their other titles in there either for whatever bizarre reason). Then they folded it into PS+ into what is now a confusing mess. They could easily include their 1st party titles on day one into one of the higher tiers of PS+ but still refuse to do so and continue to make lame excuses as to why. They seem more obsessed with games sales, fleecing their customers and projecting a particular brand image than they are future proofing their business.
Either way, they’re going to be fine, but I honestly think PS+ subs would skyrocket if they put their games there day one. I also think they’re fools for not putting their games on PC either day and date with the PS version, or at least a few months later. There are so many PC people that have no interest in consoles, but do have an interest in good games. It just feels like leaving free money on the table to project some vain image of Playstation as an exclusive premium destination and/or an attempt to appease their whiny, pathetic fanbase who can’t stand the thought of others playing their glorious masterpieces anywhere other than their beloved Playstation.
Apparently I’m more annoyed at Sony than I thought I was.
Well thats what I mean when I say they can’t replicate it. We’ve been getting day 1 games for 5 years now. Gamepass grew from a minor joke “because Xbox games don’t sell” to being the home of Elder Scrolls and Call of Duty…and Sony continues to do nothing. They’d rather pay to keep games off gamepass then bring new games to PS+++. They can’t even get MLB on their day 1 when they literally have all the advantages.
They either lack the funds to go in this direction or lack the knowledge…and I firmly believe Sony must have some knowledge of subscriptions given they own CrunchyRoll and PS+…so that leaves us with door #1.
If they can “easily” do it…well where is it? If it’s such a threat to their livelyhood…why delay? How many more publishers does Microsoft have to take away before they get in the game?
They likely don’t think they’d be making as much money as they currently do selling games. The “king” of the current model is often slow to adopt new models.
When it’s all said and done, Sony did have a chance to take down Xbox last gen. Now, not anymore. If anything, this is what loyalists should be saying to Sony:
This is a very good point. Sony is the only movie studio without a streaming service.
An inevitable resolution is obvious to everyone but Sony and regulators. Sony needs to sell. The only question is if they sell high or sell low. At the end of the day the PlayStation brand name will survive but the industry wants to grow and Sony can’t see that.
Listening to the podcast and Phil truly know how to speak to the mind of anyone. It clicks quickly to his point he’s presenting.
Edit: He speaks more on our comfort level. For example, he actually felt cringe when people say Game Pass games are exclusive to the subscription. Highly recommend to listen.
