Microsoft's bid to buy Activision Blizzard has rivals worried about the fate of the hyper-popular game franchise.
Sony's European press office didn't respond to a request for comment. Adding to the pressure on Sony, Microsoft also said Wednesday it has committed to keeping Call of Duty on the platform Steam, a digital marketplace for PC games, in an agreement with Steam's operator Valve.
In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal this week, Smith raised concerns about the possibility that the Federal Trade Commission could take Microsoft to court to stop the deal. Antitrust watchdogs in both Britain and the European Union also are investigating the transaction over concerns it would distort competition.At the heart of the dispute is control over future releases of Activision Blizzard's most popular games, especially Call of Duty, a first-person military shooter franchise.
"Microsoft would have full ownership of one of the most valuable franchises in console gaming," Joost van Dreunen, a lecturer on the business of games at New York University's Stern School of Business said in October."And naturally, Sony does not want that or like that because it will cost them business."
Activision reported last month that the latest installment, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, had earned more than $1 billion in sales since its October 28 launch, continuing a nearly two-decade run for California-based Activision Blizzard's wildly popular military shooting franchise. New installments of the game can rival Hollywood's biggest blockbusters in how much they earn on their opening weekend.
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