The Federal Trade Commission’s case against Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues to heat up, revealing inside information concerning both Microsoft and Sony. The most recent revelation in this massive legal battle, comes in the form of a letter which was sent out by Jim Ryan, the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).
In Ryan’s partially redacted letter, he explains the negative implications that would impact the gaming industry if fans of Activision were limited to only one console. He further talks about the amount of revenue and number of players Call of Duty games specifically generate worldwide, which would have a major impact on PlayStation in particular.
SEE: 2019 Email From the FTC Case Shows Xbox Saying It Could: “Spend PlayStation Out of Business”
Although the numbers in Ryan’s letter are blacked out, eagle-eyed observers have noticed the information is see-through and the values can still be read. The main figure that has been pulled from this document, is that “in 2021, Call of Duty directly generated $800 million in United States spending for SIE.”
PlayStation clearly does not want to lose out on the money Call of Duty games bring to the console, and is willing to produce internal evidence like Ryan’s letter, to show what a big loss the title would be for the company. Given the fact that Modern Warfare II has become the fastest selling game in the Call of Duty franchise, crossing the $1 billion mark last year, Sony knows the value of future installments.
Other than Call of Duty’s Value, What Other Information About Sony Has Been Revealed During FTC Case Proceedings?
Another piece of information, which was revealed due to the FTC case against Microsoft, are two expenses made on PlayStation exclusive games. Although Sony, like many companies, can be secretive when it comes to cost, legal documents are showing fans figures they have yet to see. These figures again, come in the form of a poorly redacted document, this time a declaration submitted by Sony.
The information indicates that Sony Interactive Entertainment spent $212 million to make Horizon Forbidden West and $220 million to make The Last of Us Part II. Although experts in the industry had already projected similar numbers that were reasonably accepted, now observers of PlayStation know exactly how much the company paid to make these titles.
Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a clear as day source of information when it comes to Sony or Microsoft, it is going to be hard to find. The best references to all of these expenditures are still in a “squint hard to see it” form and will probably never be completely disclosed. However, despite the nature of the information, fans are just excited to learn as much information as possible on information these mega companies have tried to keep secret from the public.
A last bit of information worth noting, which is an important insight into the choices of gamers and products, comes from an internal survey at Sony. According to Jim Ryan, half of PS5 users also have a Nintendo Switch, where less than 20% of users have an Xbox Series S/X. The way this information circles back around to the Call of Duty games, is the fact that gamers are not buying Xbox as frequently if they already have a PlayStation.
The Nintendo Switch has several exclusive titles, but unless Activision games start becoming Xbox exclusive, Microsoft isn’t putting out a ton of console-specific games. So, if the Activision deal does go through, Sony will have a much more challenging problem on its hands. As the fight for console dominance continues, Sony certainly does not want one of its’ main competitors, Microsoft, to control a major developer like Activision when titles like Call of Duty are on the line.
Source: IGN
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