Disputes and accusations between Sony and Microsoft that are emerging in the context of the current Activision Blizzard Sale the negotiations begin to be more absurd; Sony’s latest claim is that Activision might deliberately release a buggy version of Obligation on PS5 and PS4 to discourage players from using these consoles.
Activision might even fix bugs in Call of Duty on PS5 and PS4
Sony not only believes that Activision Blizzard might release a buggy version of its game only on PS5 and/or PS4, but also suggests that the bugs would be deliberately introduced into the game after release. The latest indictment was filed with the CMA as part of Sony’s argument as to why Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard shouldn’t go ahead and was taken by tom warren:
For example, Microsoft could release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and glitches only appear in the game’s latest level or after later updates. Even if such downgrades could be detected quickly, any remedy would likely come too late, in which case the gaming community would have lost faith in PlayStation as a starting point for playing Call of Duty. In fact, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased within the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty players might decide to switch to Xbox for fear of playing their favorite game in a second-rate or less competitive venue.
Microsoft has previously insisted that this would never be true and that they would not bring Call of Duty players to Xbox. Sony was offered a 10-year deal to keep CoD on PS5 and/or PS4, but further indicated “Microsoft has shown no real commitment to reaching a negotiated outcome.” Apparently, the company “dragged its feet, only engaged when it felt the regulatory landscape was darkening, and preferred to deal with the media rather than engage with SIE.”
Despite these accusations, Microsoft managed to broker deals with Nintendo and Nvidia to bring the franchise to their platforms in the future. Only time will tell what the future holds for Activision Blizzard games on PS5 and PS4.