Sony to Brazilian regulators: 'No rival can overtake Call of Duty'

Sony speaks to Brazilian regulators about Microsoft's $68.7 billion Activision-Blizzard buyout, expresses how big Call of Duty is.

[porkChop]

That's actually not true. No one is even trying to go after COD anymore. Battlefield came really close. It would have taken over had EA/DICE not repeatedly dropped the ball every time.

It can absolutely be done. The problem is every time anyone tries they either don't understand why people enjoy COD, or they hamstring themselves by focusing on gimmicks and bad ideas.

None of this matters though because the industry has moved past COD and onto bigger things like Fortnite and Apex Legends, both of which are still available on PlayStation.

[Sonyslave3]

Yup which is funny all the other major parties are saying the complete opposite of what sony is saying and is giving example like Apex and Rainbow Seige Fortnite Geshin Impact etc.

Riots games have more faith in sony Naughty Dog then Sony 🤣🤣

[Extermin8or3_]

And yet if you look at sales and revenue and profit COD is miles ahead every year.

[Nitrowolf2]

Yet none of those are annualized and charging full price and still getting the sales and playerbase to match.

Being f2p helps a ton for those games, but even siege, a paid experience, doesn’t match the sales of cod

[XbladeTeddy]

CoD really is losing ground because its the same thing year in year out and they milk it too much so people eventually get bored of the same crap.

[dumahim]

Technically it can be done, but in the current state of things, no other publisher is going to throw as much resources towards it as Activision. I think that's the angle Sony is looking at it from.

[crazyCoconuts]

The fact that no one is trying to go after COD anymore, which consistently makes a ton of money every year on their annual installment, is evidence that it's very difficult to do and supports Sony's statement. Microsoft's habit of acquiring the companies with the biggest cross platform games like COD and Minecraft is certainly concerning. So far they haven't turned the screws, but if they did with COD and Minecraft and took it off of Sony's platforms that might be considered anti-competitive behavior.

[DeathTouch]

If it’s that easy to come up with solid IPs and go head to head with major established ones with just a bit of dedication, I wonder why Microsoft payed billions for them while they could’ve payed a lot less forming new and better IPs, by your logic.

[porkChop]

At no point did I say it would be easy. I said it can be done. It isn't impossible.

[chadwarden]

Sony with all their data/metrics/studies/surveys says one thing. Internet expert disagrees based on anecdotes.

[Kornholic]

Battlefield, even though a successful series and often the superior game, never came even close to Call of Duty numbers when it comes to sales. Don't try to rewrite history.

[ChasterMies]

When I see that everyone has given up trying to compete with Call of Duty, I see that as evidence that no rival can overtake Call of Duty. Just sayin’.

[porkChop]

I see it as everyone moving on to something more profitable in the long run, which would be ongoing free-to-play and BR games. No one is going after COD because it's unnecessary at this point. Even Activision went the BR route with COD Warzone. Destiny 2 went free-to-play and has been hugely popular, and Sony will own that franchise soon.

[-Foxtrot]

I'm glad Sony isn't going after COD because I wouldn't want to see COD clones in the form of Killzone or Resistance for example

Even something like Uncharted 2 started out amazing multiplayer wise, it felt like the single player and all you had was two boosters that didn't make a difference after a while, then with Uncharted 3 and 4 they started to add gimmicks and COD like features which just made everything arcade like and over the top.

We need more skill based multiplayer games, not Call of Duty clones.

[porkChop]

I agree, they don't need to go after COD. Just focus on other types of multiplayer games and provide experiences no one can get anywhere else. Killzone has the potential to be a big shooter franchise but it seems like Sony killed it off. I really wish they'd remaster KZ2 with the multiplayer included.

[DeathTouch]

They really butchered Uncharted’s multiplayer. Sometimes less is more.

[neutralgamer1992]

Man COD is a monster simple as that. It comes around end of October or November and becomes the best selling game of the year

Now this year might be different with ER and GOW. Even in a down year for COD it sells well

[TheRealHeisenberg]

"None of this matters though because the industry has moved past COD and onto bigger things like Fortnite and Apex Legends, both of which are still available on PlayStation."

I think people are trying really hard to convince themselves of this but the data just does not support it. I for one don't even play COD and can still recognize how popular it remains...makes me sick to stomach.

[BLow]

This is why people like you don't run a corporation. Just because YOU don't like COD doesn't change the fact that it is still a juggernaut every year. Not many games for that and they've been doing it for well over a decade easy.

No disagree from me because you are entitled to your opinion. I need to stay off this comment section lol.

[porkChop]

I'm not saying it isn't a juggernaut. It seems like everyone misunderstood what I was actually saying. COD is big, yes, but it isn't untouchable. Nothing ever is. We've never seen a proper competitor without either a botched launch or terrible decisions that kill the game. No publisher has dethroned COD because they don't even understand why people like COD in the first place.

[fr0sty]

COD: Vanguard was the top grossing game by revenue ($200,000,000+) of 2021, mobile included. The world has not yet moved on from it.

[oof46]

And this was a down year.

[King_Noctis]

You seem to know more than Sony themselves.

[Profchaos]

We see these same arguements year in year out with each release from gaming community's starting I'd say around 2009 or so about the blops 1 or MW3 timeframe.
It's the same thing every year:
people will grow bored
Activision will milk it to death
There's nothing new
People that play cod are not real gamers
It's the cod crowds fault take X sucks because they tried to adopt y mechanics.
Battlefield will beat cod this year

And so on but after 15 years of annual releases every year Activision drops a cod and people eat it up the only years that see challange are years when a gta drops or cod quality drops off like infinite warfare or vangaurd.

Personally cod isn't my type of fame I really enjoyed cod 4 and waw when I was studying and had more free time but 15 years on I don't have the same luxury of seemingly infinite lesuire time and I like to see actual progression in my camera so I stopped buying it years ago after MW2 original and I've very rarely dropped back in for the campaign mostly and it's always been fun enough it's like quake in a way I know what I'm getting and that's ok I don't need much in the way of innovation.

[Sonyslave3]

GOOGLE: They highlight all their different initiatives (mini games, VR, Play Pass, developing exclusive games for Stadia until 2021, etc).

Alternatives to COD could be Battlefield, Counterstrike or Rainbow Six. Alternatives to WoW would be Lost Ark, ESO Online or Guild Wars 2. And alternatives to Candy Crush would be Puzzle Quest or Bejeweled.

They also highlight other important franchises from ABK such as Overwatch, Diablo or Hearthstone, including possible alternatives (according to Google, Fallout is an alternative to Diablo).

[roadkillers]

In my opinion, Call of Duty is a competitive online shooter. Both Fortnite and PUBG surpassed Call of Duty in revenue. PUBG premise was extremely fresh and new. Fortnite took that concept, turned it into a kids/adults metaverse like game and ran with it.

[roadkillers]

^ Which games made it like PUBG?Massive map with a bunch of players needing to find weapons? If it wasn’t, it sure popularized the genre.

[Father__Merrin]

There's no solid alt to COD it's had blips ie WW2 games but the rest upon release people flock to it because it offers quick burst gameplay combined with more deeper gameplay.

No other game offers that quick match like Cod does. Sure someone may prefer something else over COD but as a direct competitors there's not a chance

[sparky77]

Damn you can really feel the fear Sony has of this acquisition, if MS made it exclusive Sony knows their gaming business is pretty much dead.

I do wonder what Sony will pay them to keep it coming to Playstation.

[Chriswheeler22]

It won't be dead lol

[derek]

Dream of every xbox fanatic

[Crows90]

They asked a question and answered honestly. There is no fear in the answer at all.

Not sure you know what fear is actually.
Microsoft buying out tons and tons of popular IP because they can't make their own. That's fear.

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

Hit the nail right on the head. Which is exactly why I have no respect for what MS is doing. Buying devs is one thing but buying up whole publishers that's another thing entirely.

[Juancho51]

Microsoft has proven for years and years that they just dont have the studios to make excellent games. They can throw that wallet around all day though, might as well acquire talent.

[Petebloodyonion]

Are they really afraid or basically played a victim in the hope that this deal is halted?

I'm sorry but in no way shape or form would a competitor says I'm super ok with my rival owning something that could potentially cost me money and hurt my profit.

[LoveSpuds]

Clearly you are unfamiliar with MS's business practices in other sectors over the years. They wrote the book on anti competitive practices and its quite natural for anyone with half a brain cell to recognise that buying whole publishers of this size is not good for the industry.

Governments around the world aren't looking into these acquisitions because they are Sony or Nintendo fans, they are looking into them because they recognise that this is a billion dollar industry that could be damaged if any one company gets to powerful or achieves a monopoly.

[Petebloodyonion]

@loveSpuds
I don't recall saying this deal should not be investigated
I'm just saying that it's normal that a competitor that has something to lose will try to halt it.
And for your info
Google, Ubisoft, Amazon, WB, Bandai-Namco, etc. don't seem to have a problem with this acquisition.

I would love to hear Nintendo on the subject.

[John_McClane]

Whatever it takes.

[Rude-ro]

Activision, said developers and their games, per the entire history of Microsoft’s acquisitions, has a far better chance to die over Sonys platform.

Saying that… cod is a beast… but most likely falling into the wrong hands. Per history that is.

[gamer9]

xbox has historically been the shooter box, hoping they can put some new life into the cod franchise

[CptDville]

As from a Brazilian legal perspective, they must asses the antitrust regulator (CADE) regarding the risks of the acquisition and the situation of the related market as clear and honest as they can. They must answer the questions that CADE makes which are mostly centered to the risks of the operation to the market, in order for CADE to evaluate if any remedies (“burdens” to the companies involved, such as selling assets) need to be applied, and therefore they will obviously point out the risks that might arise from the acquisition as per the questions they were requested to answer . Nothing desperate nor special here, just business as usual and compliance with the law.

[Juancho51]

Youre crazy if you think that Sony's gaming business hinders on Call of Duty games ... that's definitely not the case, they'll be ok.

[gold_drake]

thats quite true.

while there are other shooter games, cod lets u dive in immediately cause it doesnt change up the gameplay all too much.

and most ppl buy it to play with their mates online.

[EazyC]

These kind of statements historically have aged badly, but I think Sony are right on that one, at least for the foreseeable future.

Battlefield did have a chance back around BF 1, where CoD was at a low ebb, but that is a distant memory now after the abject disappointment that was BF 2042.

You do have other shooters (loot stuff like Destiny, or tighter tactical stuff like R6), but they seem to be niche filling, but as far as blockbuster, accessible mp shooters, CoD has the market seized.

[Reborn]

BF in the past, could've come close.

But COD just nails the accessability and keeps the same formula more or less. So players never feel like they have to do something extremely different to enjoy the next one. You load up, jump in, play with friends easy. Yeah, other shooters out there..but COD has just been around too long and remained a talking point.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Considering how well CoD sells even when nobody likes it, they might be right. The annual purchase of CoD is inevitable for alotta gamers.

[MrBaskerville]

Might take a hit of it becomes exclusive. It's big on playstation, so Cods popularity would drop to some degree, perhaps creating a small opening for a competitor.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Sony better have a multiplayer franchise ready to fill the CoD void….

[AuraAbjure]

I don't see cod being dethroned anytime soon. But I don't know everything.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

This was is why I don’t buy ANY franchise annually: if they can count on your sale, they don’t have to try.

CoD has not deserved to be the top seller every year, but they have been.

[thesoftware730]

You know what the most important part of CoD is?

It's actually fun! tight controls, fast gameplay, above average gun mechanics and every match you play seems like they reward you with something.

[John_McClane]

That's exactly right! I''ve often wished for my COD charecter when playing Battlefield! 😂

[porkChop]

That's exactly why it's so successful. No COD competitor has provided that level of experience. Except Titanfall 2, that game felt great. But again, just like recent BF games, EA destroyed any chance of that game being a success.

[ichdich]

No rival can overtake Call of Duty

[StarkR3ality]

Guys nothing will compete will Call of duty in the near future (that's not me saying it's a good game btw, just facts). The size of the franchise and the amount of revenue it brings in is ridiculous, same thing with FIFA and Madden. It will always be the best selling game every year because of the audience they attract.

Modern Warfare 2 coming out this October will be the best selling CoD game ever, put my life on it. This beast isn't going anywhere, whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you, I myself got bored of them after black ops 2.

[Binarycode]

COD is just rinse and repeat year after year.

Lock on aiming, youngsters game, which is why I don't play it and I got the last 4 games for free on PS4.

Battlefield 2-4 were great games. The latest was a mistake.

And if M$ were to buy it, Sony would still happily makes games and do well.

Not everyone buys consoles for COD. Otherwise Nintendo would be fked.

[Petebloodyonion]

The only thing that strikes me in Sony's statement is how Sony themselves are ignorant of what makes money.

"Exclusive games are a parameter of competition between Microsoft and SIE, although no company has so far developed or acquired an exclusive game that has decisively shifted the balance in favor of a console. This is because proprietary exclusive games are less popular and represent less revenue than third-party AAA games, which, until then, are available on Xbox and PlayStation."

Honestly! don't they read the truth that is the N4G comment section?
It's been obvious (despite lack of proof) that exclusives, exclusive, exclusives, and more exclusives are the only value for success and that is what drives ppl to get a console instead of COD, GTA, etc... (we have ultra-powerful gaming pc for that)
So I don't know why they fear having ppl jump the fence of MS owning COD when they can just make more exclusives.
(Or perhaps there's actually a reason why Sony invested so much in COD, GTA, RDR, and early release deals).

And perhaps this should again be brought to light.
https://twitter.com/noobde/...

[rippermcrip]

Exclusives can be system sellers. Third party games still make them the most money. Those things do not contradict. They actually go hand in hand. You do not get the third party money if your console is not being purchased.

If someone can only afford a single console, having the better exclusives is extremely important.

[Petebloodyonion]

And yet when ppl were asked what's the more important aspect of a new console
Exclusive came last.
https://twitter.com/noobde/...

And if exclusive was so important (according to lots of ppl here) then by all means why is Xbox selling so well when you can play all Xbox series games on PC (and some Playstation games on PC) and we are still waiting for the Serie X system seller exclusive?

[Mr Logic]

Exclusives narrative has always been bull except for the "hardcore" 5-10% or Nintendo consoles.

The majority of "gamers" play COD, FIFA, NBA, Fortnite, Minecraft, etc. on the console of choice, which until recently with crossplay has been mainly determined with where your friends are.

I myself play on PC, and only own a PS5 for exclusives and to play with friends. I believe my days of owning consoles are numbered and that's an exciting proposition.

[rippermcrip]

You went from "exclusives narrative has always been bull" to "...only own a PS5 for exclusives and to play with friends"

[Mr Logic]

@rippermcrip

You just missed the point. I'm saying that I'm an edge case for buying a PS5 for exclusives. I am in that 5-10%. The vast majority are not.

[rippermcrip]

Dude why don't you look at that list again:
- Affordable Price: same for Xbox and PS
- Graphics: same
- plays last gen games: same

So those things are a wash. You're left with exclusives based on that list. I never said there weren't other factors. You were the one who acted like it wasn't a factor.

Why is Xbox selling so well? They aren't compared to their competitors. They are getting trounced in sales.
It is pointless comparing consoles to PCs, so I don't even know why you brought that up.

[Petebloodyonion]

I never said that exclusives couldn't be a factor in choosing one system over another (best example Switch) what I said was that Sony just said, that despite what the PlayStation fans would want us to believe on N4G, Exclusives games aren't the main reason why ppl buy a PS5 or an Xbox console.

"Call of Duty is so popular that it influences users' choice of console, and its community of loyal users is entrenched enough that even if a competitor had the budget to develop a similar product, it would not be able to rival it."
https://www.gamespot.com/ar...

"Why is Xbox selling so well? They aren't compared to their competitors. They are getting trounced in sales.
It is pointless comparing consoles to PCs, so I don't even know why you brought that up."
1) I'll take fact sheets like information passed in investors' reports (validated by-laws) over your wishful opinion
https://www.dualshockers.co...
2) And why is it suddenly pointless when for the past 7 years I heard the narrative that there's no point owning an Xbox since all can be played on PC.

[rippermcrip]

Your DS article is pointless because it is only abiut North America. Last gen and this gen it has been pretty even between the 2. However Playstation dominates 2 to 1 worldwide.

Exclusives are one of the main reason people choose a certain console. You keep acting like that isn't true for some reason.

If Call of Duty went exclusive... it would hurt Sony with Microsoft having a huge exclusive. If exclusives didn't matter like you say... why would Sony care?

[Ashunderfire86]

People like this turd of a game no matter what. Its a turd most people don't mind sinking their teeth in.

[NotanotherReboot]

Haze is the key to dethroning COD

[Binarycode]

Wasn't as bad as ppl think at the time. Sp game.

Cod has 100 gimps appearing from magic spawning points. lol

[onisama]

Well Final fantasy, street fighter, spiderman, wolverine aren't replaceable neither but they took them with cold blood

[John_McClane]

Didn't Sony basically take Final Fantasy away from Nintendo back in the 90's?

[Deathdeliverer]

Not exactly. Square was going bankrupt and Sony bought 51% of the company to help them get on their feet. After square recovered Sony sold it back to them. If someone stopped me from losing everything I’d make sure they were ok in return any chance I got.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Sony is right on this one.

[Pyrofire95]

ehhh. It's kind of true. Nothing sells like COD. Last year it was the top TWO selling games. I also personally don't care about COD anymore so I don't really have a horse in the race anymore.

[DnBSkillZ]

What i don’t get is how the fuck had no one tried all people want is Smooth fast gunplay 10min matches and a deep create a class non of these are trademarked by activision you can have perks/killstreaks etc…

[babadivad]

Didn't know Sony was fighting this acquisition.

[TheGreatGazoo30]

Such fake news. Just ask anyone on the internet. Everyone hates COD and no one plays it. They'll boycott the game... Next year

[derek]

It's in Sony's interest to dramatize the importance of cod, though there is some truth their statement.

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

Yup pretty much. CoD has always been the perfect blend of easy to play but hard to master. Everyone from children to folks in their 60s play CoD.

[z2g]

this is exactly why I said MS would keep COD Multiplatform, and why they would be fools not to. I know a lot of xbox users think they'll make it a Microsoft exclusive, but that would be really dumb all around and is mostly just stupid console war stuff they wished they could stick it to Sony with... but its not and MS said as much. The exact same would be true if Sony Made Destiny a playstion exclusive (but with smaller numbers in both revenue and studio purchase price). Its already too well established on multiple platforms and MS would get a far better return on investment as well as showing good faith by keeping it multiplatform. Now maybe I could see some exclusive DLC of some variety coming exclusively to xbox consoles, but thats another thing entirely and falls in line with current models of exclusive content deals that have already existed prior to this. I do hope tho that this scenario and the clear worry that Sony has about it takes Sony's ego down a peg tho. They have a lot to brag about for sure, but they're starting to rely too heavily on their past more than their future and this should be a wakeup call.

[rlow1]

To say no one can compete is none sense. The whole point is to pivot and come up with a better concept. Where would Sony be today if Nintendo never left them cold at the alter? Out of challenges come innovation, something we are in need of when it come to triple A shooters.

[toneblanco925]

COD is the Madden on FPS

[northpaws]

MS: "I am buying Activition"
Xbots: "Sony is gonna die, CoD is the best"
Sony: "nothing can replace CoD"
Xbots: "CoD can be easily replaced, please don't stop MS from buying it"