Over the last few years the console wars have become polite exchanges of pleasantries, but there’s nothing like this fight over the fate of Activision Blizzard to bring out some good old fashioned ill will between Xbox and PlayStation.
During the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) hearing to probe the Microsoft’s proposed takeover over of the Call of Duty maker, both sides are airing the old grievances.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder for 29% less than RRP
ShopTo is offering Super Mario Bros. Wonder on pre-order for just £42.85, which is a 29% saving on the game’s £59.99 RRP.
- ShopTo
- Save 29%
- Now £42.85
Even Xbox boss Phil Spencer is coming out firing against Sony as the company, along with the FTC, look to block the proposed $69 billion acquisition. When the FTC asked whether Spencer viewed Sony as an aggressive competitor, Spencer responded in the affirmative. He even accused Sony of trying to undermine Xbox’s “survival”
“Sony is the market leader with a considerable capability and an aggressive competitor,” says Phil Spencer in comments reported by The Verge.
“Every time we ship a game on PlayStation… Sony captures 30 percent of the revenue that we do on their platform and then they use that money among other revenue that they have to do things to try to reduce Xbox’s survival on the market. We try to compete, but as I said, over the last 20 years we’ve failed to do that effectively.”
Whether Spencer trying to pitch Microsoft and Xbox as a plucky underdog – as it seeks to spend $70 billion on acquiring one of the biggest gaming companies in the world – will resonate with the US government regulators remains to be seen.
Spencer though says Microsoft is in a clear third place in the gaming world, behind Sony and Nintendo. He added: “As the console wars is a social construct with the community I would never want to count us out with our fans. We are in third place. We are behind Sony and Nintendo in console share locally.”
The FTC is currently blocking the takeover, joining the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority in rejecting it. The hearing continues.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
