In stark contrast to Microsoft’s take on its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Sony claims that no publisher could create a franchise today that could rival Call of Duty.
The statement from Sony regarding Activision Blizzard and the Call of Duty franchise came via a publicly available review procedure pertaining to the acquisition conducted by competition regulation authorities in Brazil.
The console maker claims that, besides Activision Blizzard, only a small number of publishers and developers — including EA (FIFA), Take-Two/Rockstar (Grand Theft Auto), and Epic Games (Fortnite) — are capable of creating AAA titles. These games typically have extensive legacies, large budgets, multi-year production cycles, and devoted fan bases.
Despite this, Sony claims none of these studios will be able to create a franchise that could compete with Call of Duty from Activision Blizzard, which is effectively a game category of its own. The company argues that, as a result of its massive popularity, Call of Duty affects customers’ console preferences. Its network of devoted customers is so solidified that it would be impossible for competition to create an IP that could rival it, even if it had the funding to do so, claims the console maker.
According to PlayStation, from a development and publication standpoint, before a game is modified for one or more particular platforms, it often goes through an early stage that is platform-neutral. The console maker argues that each game competes with the others for the player’s engagement. Players select their gaming platform depending on the cost, technological capabilities, and game offered. The player’s primary decision making when choosing a platform is based on the content that is available there.
The company assert that entry barriers into the PC game publishing and development industries are low. According to Sony, an independent game can possibly be developed by a single individual and be distributed online, whereas a high-end AAA game, such as Call of Duty from Activision Blizzard, needs a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of developers in order to produce.
To demonstrate how distinctive and irreplaceable Call of Duty is, PlayStation discusses the time, investment, number of employees, millions of followers, sales, and other statistical points associated with the franchise. Call of Duty is one of PlayStation’s top third-party revenue generators and a significant source of income for the company, claims Sony.
