Sony Reportedly 'Blocked' Xbox Game Pass On PlayStation
Who was it that said the console wars were over? Although there was once a time we thought Microsoft and Sony would put down their weapons and play nicely, the upcoming acquisition of Activision Blizzard has only carved the battle lines deeper.
The Activision Blizzard deal hasn't been finalised yet, and with this in mind, both sides are going to war with a list of "he said, she said" arguments. It reminds us of returning to the playground, but much like the case of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, it's turned up some juicy stories. The latest claim is a doozy.
Could Game Pass Arrive On PlayStation?
It looks like it'll be the deal to end all deals, and with a record-breaking $68.7 billion on the table, you can see why. The big one is obviously the chart-topping success that Call of Duty brings every year, and even though Phil Spencer has repeatedly promised CoD will remain a multi-platform release, that hasn't stopped Sony bosses from disputing the deal over it.
Head honcho Jim Ryan reportedly flew to Brussels to try and stop the acquisition, and as the fight rages on, Microsoft is making its defence. Namely, the Xbox behemoth claims it offered to put Game Pass on PlayStation, but was "blocked" by Sony. As shared by The Verge's Tom Warren on Twitter, Sony has reportedly "chosen to block Game Pass from PlayStation." Warren goes on to say that the PlayStation powerhouse has "elected to protect its revenues from sales of newly released games, rather than offer gamers the choice of accessing them via its subscription, PlayStation Plus."
If this is the case, the argument is that Sony is refusing to adapt and wants to reduce competition in the market. In a defence to the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority, Microsoft maintains it intends to add all ActiBlizz games to Game Pass as soon as possible, therefore boosting the benefits of the subscription service for the average consumer.
Will The Activision Blizzard Deal Go Ahead?
The notion of allowing Game Pass on PlayStation might've been a way to show Microsoft is still willing to share, but come on, did anyone think it was really going to happen? Allowing your biggest rival's subscription service to run on your platform and alongside your own is akin to sharing a bed with a wild tiger. Still, there's a lot to be said for Sony's lack of Day One releases compared to Game Pass offering so much bang for its buck.
Going against Microsoft's subscription service model, critics have pointed out that all of this hints at a console-free future. It's no secret that Microsoft makes a huge loss on Xbox production, while many have effectively called the Xbox Series S Game Pass machine. Despite there being a lot going on with the Activision Blizzard acquisition right now, it recently made a huge step forward when it was approved in Saudi Arabia and Brazil. We're guessing Ryan and Spencer are about to take each other on in the Gulag, but to be honest, we're not sure who will be making it out alive.