Starfield exclusivity is why Sony doesn’t trust Microsoft’s promises

Sony’s unwillingness to accept Microsoft’s Call Of Duty deal is partially due to the company’s handling of the Bethesda acquisition.

[Obscure_Observer]

Lmao!

Now Sony is crying over Starfield´s exclusivity to Xbox as an excuse to not accept Microsoft´s 10 year deal for COD, with allegations on how Microsoft shouldn´t be trusted over a game that was never announced for Playstation in the first place. XD

[Sonyslave3]

Bruh shit is just sad, Microsoft told everyone exclusives would be case by case.

[1Victor]

@slave#3 : “ Bruh shit is just sad, Microsoft told everyone exclusives would be case by case.”
Sure Microsoft case by case basis is code word for “head I win tail you loose “
Microsoft have been caught by the federal regulators way too many times with their hands inside the monopoly pot for me to trust what they say 🤔.
Buying a game exclusivity for a year or so does not equate buying a publisher with the intent of removing the games from the competition with one of the biggest community for those game regardless of console maker

[Kados]

Yeah, feel free to correct me if i am wrong, but iirc, MS never once claimed that all Zenimax/Bethesda games would be multiplatform. I vaguely recall them passingly implying that TES would remain multiplatform, but they said everything else would be on a case by case.

[IRetrouk]

Before the deal went through they claimed exclusivity of zenimax titles made no sense to the European regulators, the regulators agreed with this sentiment, thats all sony pointed out, they aint wrong, but neither is ms for making them exclusive.

[OptimusDK]

@IRetrouk thatbis pure bullshit and has been debunked by the eu towards the ftc

[PrinceOfAnger]

Funny it is not a problem for sony to make final fantasy and street fighter v etc exclusive for their platform but microsoft making starfield an exclusive is wrong.

[darkrider]

2 Games not publishers. Microsoft already did the same with games. There no comparison.

It doesn't matter how many times Microsoft gsmers try to compare two games with a publisher. It's not the same thing.

Right now Microsoft gamers almost don't buy games. The sales are very low. Again, just see what happend with Harry potter the biggest seller of the year, more sales then elden ring! 80% on playstation consoles. It's not a ln exclusive...

What Microsoft did with buying beteshda was taking tons of games from more then 200 millions player Sony and nintendo. Now are available to the smallest companies in videogaming...

[Lightning77]

An exclusive they own.

[Redemption-64]

You and your ilk are so narrow minded, it's sad. 1 Sony didn't buy Square or Capcom, 2, without Sony SFV would not exist. I don't recall seeing a single Xbox fanboys complaining when Octopath Traveler went to Xbox, but not to Playstation. Yet the amount of crying about Sony paying to keep Octopath Traveler 2 off Xbox was very entertaining to watch.

Didn't MS lie about Sony paying to keep Bloodborne off Xbox, when it was Sony, who not only approached FromSoftware, they literally co-developed the game with full funds from Sony? 3, MS also has exclusive deal with other 3rd party devs that they paid to keep off PS. 4, Sony isn't going around pretending to be the good guy, claiming the want more people to play their games, or that, they are not taking games away for any platform, then turn around and do exactly that. You can literally use the same logic they have used for COD for Starfield. Pete Hines also stated that, there was no exclusive deals until MS purchased them.

[TriniOutsider]

Sony helped with the development of SF-V. It was clearly stated during the development of the game that Sony helped with the game. Also, FF isn't exclusive it is a dam-timed exclusive and y'all know that as well.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

They will just say Sony “helped” with those games.

Yea helped with paying to keep them off Xbox.

Notice no issue for Capcom to develop SF6 on multiple platforms including Xbox.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

@darkrider

Look at you trying to make Xbox fans feel bad for subscribing to play multiple games instead of spending $70 per title. Lol

[gangsta_red]

@Trini
"Sony helped with the development of SF-V. It was clearly stated during the development of the game that Sony helped with the game."

Sony never helped with development, Sony made a publishing deal with Capcom for the rights to SFV. It was never clearly stated by Sony or Capcom what was needed by Sony that it had to be only exclusive to Playstation. And it obviously wasn't any concerns of Capcom's financial situation at the time because they had RE and MvC I in development at the same time.

The whole Sony helped with development' was an excuse used because a few months before, MS was getting pelted with hate for making TR a timed exclusive and the same people who pushed that now had to backpaddle for Sony.

[Lightning77]

"The sales are very low. Again, just see what happend with Harry potter the biggest seller of the year, more sales then elden ring! 80% on playstation consoles. It's not a ln exclusive..."

I wonder why that is? Aw it's because of marketing rights. Marketing was so strong casuals thought it was only on PS5 on top of exclusive content.

Marketing, marketing, marketing. It's powerful thing.

[Charlieboy333]

Sony funded SFV and nobody buys Final Fantasy on Xbox

[shinoff2183]

Prince of anger. Ms has 3rd party exclusives deals to. Plus yall don't even buy ff

[PrinceOfAnger]

@Redemption-64

Yeah look how some of you fanboys are narrow minded, many of you keep saying microsoft started all this 3rd party exclusives thing! ,Then forget that playstation was released way long before first xbox

Chris Deering
We targeted Microsoft from day one -- we were ruthless," he says. "I'm not of this mentality anymore, but at the time it was life or death as far as I was concerned. We had this expression in our business meetings: 'Kill them right at the start and take no prisoners
Chris Deering, who was Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Europe's boss at the time.
says that the company still wanted to embrace a broad audience, including more mature demographics. One of his core focuses was -- as with the original PlayStation -- trying to nail down as many third-party exclusives as possible.

We were asking what we could do to make it difficult for Sega or Nintendo to come back," he explains. "We didn't start with a big portfolio of game development studios like Sega and Nintendo had. We were really friendly with third-parties right from day one".

[shinoff2183]

Lightning

Your so full of sh. Sure maybe marketing can be said for higher sales on one or the other but 80 percent sales on ps show that xbox gamers don't buy games. Everyone knows its on all systems. People just gamepass on xbox. Not all but most. I'm one of them

[Vengeance1138]

You realize SF V's development was funded by Sony right? Why on earth would it release on Xbox when it wouldn't have existed without Sony? Is Sony just in the business of funding Xbox games now? Why do you think Bayonetta is exclusive to Nintendo? Because Nintendo funded it, they didnt just pay to keep it off other platforms.

I know its hard to put effort into researching these things but do atleast try.

As for FF, that just makes sense to not have an Xbox version, they would never recoup costs.

[Redemption-64]

@PrinceOfAnger

You cannot be this ignorant. No one with a brain with make up this lie you just created, but that is expected with you and your ilk. The closest I have seen anyone make such a claim is if they are specifically talking about COD and this might be a hard question for a person like you, but can you take a wild guess who started it all with COD? Aside from that, Sony, Nintendo and others have been in the gaming industry for long and have all been paying for exclusive content. MS joined them and has been doing it for years. The issue I see is bots calling out Sony for the same practice MS not only takes part in, but have been doing it for years.

[Lightning77]

To add to @Gangsta comment. Street Fighter fell short of expectations sales wise and especially critically. It has a 77 metacritic vs a massive 94 metacritic in Street Fighter 4. It wasn't a "flop" necessarily but it left more to be desired.

If Capcome was struggling financially they would of cut a deal again with Sony. Them struggling was a fairy tale lie that was just a pure PR move by Capcome. They were cappin.

They quickly learned that being on one platform was a mistake.

If money was the issue then Street Fighter 6 would never be a thing.

[P_Bomb]

All this talk about SFV and Capcom. You know what other Capcom game is exclusive (and on deep sale right now)? Dead Rising 3. On Xbox.

Thinking of buying it. You know, how we used to roll.

[gangsta_red]

@Vengeance1138

"Why on earth would it release on Xbox when it wouldn't have existed without Sony?"

That's hilarious if you actually believe the number ONE fighting game in gaming history, the main attraction in all EVO's and fighting tournaments around the world, Capcom's flagship title that is more recognizable than any other game they have, wouldn't have existed without Sony's help and yet Capcom had Marvel vs Capcom Infinite (which was a huge flop by the way) ready to release a bit later.

@lightning
"If money was the issue then Street Fighter 6 would never be a thing."

That's the point I keep bringing up that no one seems to answer. A few here like to bring up percentages and compare sales numbers as if these developers/publishers don't have the same if not better data. If games don't sell on Xbox like they claim then why do these same devs keep releasing on the Xbox console? Do these people here on N4G have better sales data than the actual accountants working for developers, and if this is the case then why does Sony still have to pay for timed exclusives?

[DarkZane]

@gangsta_red "If games don't sell on Xbox like they claim then why do these same devs keep releasing on the Xbox console?"

Square-Enix is actually not releasing their games like FF7R and FFXVI on Xbox especially because they don't sell, not because of some imaginary deal you Xbox fanboys think Sony made. You guys need to realize your console of choice is just last place materiel that a lot of developers just don't give a shit about.

[gangsta_red]

@darkzane

Yup, that must be it...definitely made it all up

https://www.pushsquare.com/...

https://www.videogameschron...

[MontyeKristo]

Darkrider - I don't know about sales figures; however, I bought Hogwarts Legacy on the PS5 due to the extra mission and costumes. I was getting the game anyway, so extra content is obviously the way to go.

Something Sony must have paid for, no?

[Magatsuhi]

Sf5 would not exist if Sony didn't fund it so why would it be on Xbox? FF16 also needed funding and Sony provided and it's timed exclusive.

Nice false equivalence.

[IRetrouk]

Lightning and red
They were struggling financially though lol, there are records and articles about it, use Google and search for their 2013 and 2014 fiscal year reports.... let me know what you find.
They made a deal with Sony to help with funding and development, and it worked out well for them, highest selling version of street fighter so far with over 7 million copies sold across ps4 and pc, why make things up lads?

Also red, tekken has sold more overall than streetfighter, also capcom clearly stated why it went exclusive a year before launch.

"We’re not talking about how we’re handling post-launch content, but I can say the relationship with Sony does open doors for things we haven’t been able to do in the past," the representative said. "The relationship serves a gameplay and development purpose, and not just a marketing value."

https://gamerant.com/street...

[crazyCoconuts]

MS indicated in writing that they had no intention of using Bethesda/Z to make exclusive games and went through a bunch of reasons about how it would be stupid (financially) for them to do so. Then they did it.
Sony is positing that it stands to reason they'd want to do it again with Activision/COD. It's the same argument the regulatory agencies had earlier.

[LabRat]

I believe they said they would honor current agreements (deathloop, Tokyo ghostwire, etc.) Never that they would forever make all future games playable on PS. They spent 7 billion for a reason. Plus wasn't Sony trying to make starfield exclusive for a year? I don't personally see a lot of people rushing out to buy an Xbox just to play starfield though.

[crazyCoconuts]

They did actually state in a response to the European commission that it doesn't make sense for them to release any exclusives from the acquired company. They didn't promise anything, but they basically said "now why would i want to do that?"
Someone posted the actual text on N4G in a comment somewhere, but I can't easily find it...

[shinoff2183]

He'll I'd be happy if if starfield came out to ps after a year or two. Being fixed up maybe some free dlc. I'd buy day one.

Actually labrat
That's what I'm waiting for

[Lightning77]

"MS indicated in writing that they had no intention of using Bethesda/Z to make exclusive games and went through a bunch of reasons about how it would be stupid (financially) for them to do so."

I still want proof of this. If not then you're making it up. You can't be since it's in writing right? Btw I can't find it you mind liking it?

[mkis007]

I posted it at some point...

[Lightning77]

@Shin you'll be a skeleton waiting forever lol.

You need to move on.

[Michiel1989]

@labrat I strongly disagree with that last statement. Skyrim is one of the most common household names when it comes to rpgs, everyone knows it. Hell.... my mom has even heard of it. If starfield turns out to be even close to the success that skyrim was, it will sell system. Starfield "by the creators of skyrim", with the prospect of their future games being exclusive to xbox as well, that will sell systems.

[mkis007]

Lightning

"Microsoft in the original report from the agency on the ZeniMax deal did state it "would not have the incentive to cease or limit making ZeniMax games available for purchase on rival consoles."

https://www.vgchartz.com/ar...

This is the misleading statement that the whole thing is centered on. That sure does sound like they would release on rival consoles to me. No one is saying it was a promise...they are saying the words can't be trusted because they left out " but we will do it anyway".

[IRetrouk]

@lightning

https://ibb.co/G2vFtgw

[oof46]

No. That was when the FTC claimed that MS made promises to the EU and broke them, and then the EU came back and stated that it wasn't the case.

Direct quote from EU regulator: "Microsoft didn't make any commitments to EU regulators not to release Xbox-exclusive content following its takeover of ZeniMax Media."

https://www.levelup.com/en/...

[IRetrouk]

Oof
The European commission stated that no commitments were made based off exclusivity and that that wasn't a concern for them for the merger going through, but ms DID state it to the eu commission, which is what the ftc and sony pointed out.

https://ibb.co/G2vFtgw

Also, read the updated article mkis posted

"First, the European competition commission says that it has no comment on whether it agrees that Microsoft didn’t stay true to its assurances to the EU on ZeniMax," said Totilo.

[oof46]

@IRetrouk: Yes, because there is a difference. In regards to Bethesda, they said they "had no incentive" which is just a fancy way of saying "Yeeeeeah, well...not now" but with Activision, they've used concrete words like "commitment" and have put in writing with Nintendo and Nvidia.

I'm just saying, in regards to Bethesda, they never "promised". Even the EU said so. But, in regards to Activision and CoD, they have.

To your last point, the EU didn't comment on how they on if MS kept their promises in order to stay impartial. (Which is all anyone could ask) They did say they would update everything when they give their full report and verdict on the ABK deal.

[crazyCoconuts]

@retro great job finding that. I tried for a bit and gave up.
@oof and others, the only point here is that this supports Sony's suspicion that MS is keen to say one thing and do another.
And given their opinion that after reviewing the proposed 10 year contract they concluded it had too many outs for Microsoft, this all supports a plausible reason for Sony to be uncomfortable with it

[IRetrouk]

Stop it man, they laid out their reasons for not making the games exclusive and the European commision accepted their word on it because they didn't feel it would effect competition either way.... promise or not, they stated their intent and then went completely in the opposite direction. (Which is fine, they own em, they can do what they want).
My last point is exactly what the eu said after being asked about it, hence me asking you to read the updated story...
Commitments don't mean much either, do you know how many times ms has been sued and fined for breaking contracts etc?

@crazy, no probs man👍

[gold_drake]

MS is crying over timed exclusivity to Sony as an excuse to say the deal should go through, with allegations on how Sony is the Market leader and keeping games off Xbox.

see how that goes both ways? fairly easy.

[OneLove]

Lmao they will cry that it's cuz microsoft bought bethesda where as Sony didn't. What a stupid ass excuse.

[SoulWarrior]

Yeahhhhh, Starfield was just gonna skip Sony's platform before the buyout when the last I don't know how many Bethesda games released on and sold superior on PS for almost a decade because reasons, that reasoning you suggest is flimsy at best.

[shinoff2183]

Obscure your full of sh. Everyone knew starfield was multi console. Say what you want.

[Abracadabra]

Sony wanted to make Starfield PS5 exclusive before the Bethesda acquisition... now the are bitching because Microsoft made the game their exclusive. UNBELIEVABLE hypocrisy from Sony.

As for promises, did Microsoft promise they would bring Bethesda games to PS5 after the acquisition?

[Lightning77]

New games? No. Legacy titles or older games, yes they'll continue to get supported. That's why Hi Fi, Redfall and Starfield aren't on PS.

[Imalwaysright]

No. They said that releases of Bethesda games on other consoles would be on a case by case basis and that they would honor the deals Sony had with Bethesda wich they did.

[IRetrouk]

They stated they had no incentive to make them exclusive, old, new, it doesn't matter, they claimed something then did the opposite, its their right though, they own em🤷‍♂️
https://ibb.co/G2vFtgw

[Rude-ro]

1. You obviously did not read the article.
Starfield was an example, along with other titles, where Microsofts sales pitch on buying these larger developers were not the actual reality once in action.
2. Microsoft going after the larger developers does far more damage than just owning the ips.
You have licensing, the patents and a stranglehold on future hardware designs along with dictating the largest game to date.. because sony will have to play along or give Microsoft the ability to say anything as to why a game would not be on their hardware.
I understand the lack of business knowledge from the team microsoft defense force on this subject.. but the ramifications of Microsoft owning these companies, especially one with such a large consumer base, are huge against competitors. In many ways.

One has to ask why. Why does Microsoft want this purchase? Is it just profit? From a company that has bought just as many developers as Sony but in less time and with far less return in gaming?… with the dismantling of over half of those purchased.. why does Microsoft want this deal?

[Soulsborne]

You have the mindset of a child. Atleast your opinion is as useless as the next person on here.

[neutralgamer1992]

Y'all don't get tired of arguing all the damn time? Enjoy games and whatever happens we will see. So much negativity in society in general

[DarXyde]

"I don’t know how to allay the fears and concerns of PlayStation 5 fans other than to say, 'Well, I’m a PlayStation 5 player as well,' Hines added. "And I’ve played games on that console, and there’s games I’m gonna continue to play on it. But if you want to play Starfield? PC and Xbox."

"Sorry, all I can really say is, 'I apologize,' because I'm certain that's frustrating to folks, but there's not a whole lot I can do about it."

-Pete Hines

I'm pretty sure it was originally going to be multiplatform. This screams "tell us your game was intended for a wider audience without telling us it was intended for a wider audience".

Personally, it's whatever. I don't really care either way because I don't like Bethesda games (though I do like Tango Gameworks) but the implication that Microsoft should not be trusted is very spot on. Obviously, it's part of XGS now, so they can make that call, no problems there. But do you not understand the incentive for Sony to say "we're going all in to block this"?

Microsoft can do whatever they want with their own studios, and PlayStation is doing as they want in dragging out this battle.

I don't blame either, though I'm supportive of Sony's efforts here.

Understand that you are actively advocating for industry change that can have extremely far reaching negative consequences; I and many others are advocating for... Things to remain neutral.

Imagine simping for a trillion dollar corporation that has the resources to develop any stellar game it wants, but simply refuses to do it because there's no passion in their work and their first party quality output is junk for no real reason at all.

If it fails, great!
If it succeeds, well... PlayStation was already kicking the shit out of Xbox in title quality. Might be poking a bear if Sony is forced to really compete with Call of Duty.

That's another thing, actually! Sony doesn't even seem that bothered by the acquisition itself. The problem is Call of Duty. If Microsoft really has such good intentions here, why not acquire ABK and cleave off IW and Treyarch?

Probably because..... Sony is right not to trust Microsoft.

[TheEroica]

169 downvotes from sour gamers who don't like getting dunked on.

[ChasterMies]

Should Microsoft be trusted? Microsoft was going to raise the price of Xbox Lice Gold to $10/month until the severe backlash caused them to do a 180. Competition forces Microsoft to be trustworthy.

[jonny897]

Starfield was in development for PS5. Sony wanted it to be a timed exclusive.
https://www.gamereactor.eu/...

[Obscure_Observer]

"Sony wanted it to be a timed exclusive."

You got it right. WANTED

They never had any sort of exclusive deal. Not even a port secured, so a PS5 version of Starfield never existed outside world of mouth, otherwise MS would be legally obliged to comply and honor it´s release on PS5, just like they did with previous contracts on Ghostwire Tokio and Deathloop.

Sony never had nothing on Starfield, that´s why it isn´t coming to PS5.

[SoulWarrior]

'Not even a port secured, so a PS5 version of Starfield never existed outside world of mouth'

Hey lets just spout a load of crap without evidence, Phil is that you?

[shinoff2183]

Starfield was definitely coming to ps5. Probably was in development to.

[Vengeance1138]

lmao "thats why it isn't coming to PS5" HAHAHAAHAHA
Classic delusional take from you. You are some kind of insider now on all Sony actions? You have absolutely no idea what Sony had with Starfield. All you know is what you can Google hahaha. For all we know they had a full version ready to go until MS came in and decided to be anti-consumer as usual and suspend development on that platform.
You sound just like lyin Phil Spencer, just saying random words that have no meaning lol

[SierraGuy]

What about elder scrolls?

[Crows90]

If you honestly believe they weren't developing starfield for PlayStation, the console they make the most money on, then you are totally more delusional than I originally thought. Take that fanboyism a notch down and maybe you'll be able to think clearly.

[Obscure_Observer]

@SoulWarrior @shinoff2183 @Vengeance1138 @Crows90

Lmao

I don´t give a damn about whatever crazy conspiracy theory you fanatical and delusional bunch chose to believe.

I rather deal with the reality as presented...

Does Sony have any signed contract with Bethesda regarding Starfield?
Does Sony have any e-mail by Bethesda confirming that Starfield was coming to PS5?
Does Sony have any legal case against Microsoft regarding Starfield?

No? Then STFU! You and Sony both got nothing! Take you L, find someplace worm to cry and moan or grow some pair and just buy an Xbox or PC if you want that game so bad.

Have you see me crying and bitching over FFXVI exclusivity to Playstation consoles? No! Because I´ll just go out and buy me a PS5 and play it if I want to play it on a console!

Xbox is not meant to have everything, nor Playstation! It is what it is! Get over it! XD

[IamFrasierCrane]

^Dealing with reality is something you’re substantially lacking.

It’s quite amusing, really.

[IRetrouk]

Pete literally came out and said they had no plans to make bethesda games exclusive untill ms bought them.... do you guys read any news regarding xbox at all?? Yall misinformed as fuck.

[SoulWarrior]

'No? Then STFU! You and Sony both got nothing! Take you L, find someplace worm to cry and moan or grow some pair and just buy an Xbox or PC if you want that game so bad'

You sound like a 5 year old lol. If I want to play the game I will do so on my PC as I'm upgrading my graphics card soon, but it looks very mediocre from what they've shown anyway, I'm not crying for the game on playstation, I and many others are just coming to a logical conclusion and calling you out on your statement that isn't backed up any evidence and has no logical thinking at all.

But can't expect much from by far the most insufferable xbox cheerleader on the site lol.

[Flakegriffin]

Xbox fans are the kind of fans to sit on a mountain and scream how amazing and better they are while locking in third place overall.

[Obscure_Observer]

@SoulWarrior

"I'm not crying for the game on playstation"

Yes you´re. You´re so butthurt and bitter towards Starfield exclusive on Xbox platforms that you couldn´t help yourself but come here to defend Sony and its BS lies!

You´re just another rabid PS fanboy trying to pass as unbiased gamer. You can´t fool me.

You have no dignity so you´ll just upgrade your PC to play Starfield because that´s what you and your salty PS bunch are. Hypocrites. You´ll bash an Xbox game that you know you can´t wait to play for whatever sick reason on your twisted fanboy mind, I tell you.

Just remember what I said, when you click on "download" to play this "very mediocre" game, because we both know that you won´t have nothing better to play on Playstation come September.

You fanboys are so easy to predict that it´s hilarious.

[IRetrouk]

https://twitter.com/TWTHERE...

[jlove4life]

I would believe it but the constant pop up to buy a pair of dress shoes have me skeptical

[Sonyslave3]

And Sony was trying to make all of Zenimax exclusive before Ms snag them up like Deathloop, GhostWire still haven’t released on Xbox yet, lol.

[Christopher]

I'll give you a timed exclusive, but obviously not exclusive.

[OneLove]

This is retarded thinking. After a 2+ year exclusivity who the heck is playing the game after that. Microsoft buying bethesda is just the hardcore version of that.

[Sonic1881]

Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that Microsoft will only support their own platforms.

For them to claim otherwise is just outright lying.

[shinoff2183]

Retard thinking. What. Millions play old games all the time. Wtf are you talking about.

[crazyCoconuts]

True, there's nothing unusual about securing exclusivity (usually TIMED) for a game.

Now when the 2nd biggest company in the world buys the company making the biggest games in the world int the biggest gaming acquisition EVER. Kinda a little unusual there, doncha think??

Do you see how that's a little different than getting timed exclusives?

[Obscure_Observer]

"Do you see how that's a little different than getting timed exclusives?"

Sony was trying to make all of Bethesda games at least timed exclusives to Playstation.

After GT, Deathloop, and a sneaky attempt to make Starfield another timed-exclusive, Phil had enough and blocked Bethesda from ever talk to Jim Lyan again!

Todd Howard and Bethesda always had a longer and closer relationship with Microsoft and everyone knows that. It was just a matter of time.

[crazyCoconuts]

So you're arguing Sony had it coming... ok

But you have to admit that timed exclusives compared to buying the company outright is kinda like conventional warfare is to nuking the place.

[The3faces]

"True there's nothing unusual about securing timed exclusives"
If timed exclusives are so harmless then what's the point? Why does Sony pursue them so aggressively? I'm sure you know!

[Crows90]

I think you're giving Xbox fans too much credit. Don't assume that they can think or see things clearly. They get giddy knowing that they're council of choice is having games finally that other consoles don't have. It doesn't matter if they had to outright by the IP and remove them from said console

@obscure

Your comment on relationships would make sense but then when you think about all the time exclusivity that Sony got for Bethesda games, specifically Bethesda published games then your comment makes no sense. This would likely mean that the deals were in place before any whispers of acquisitions occurred. Otherwise Bethesda would have likely not had released timed exclusive games on playstation. This also means that it is very incredibly likely that starfield was planned for the PlayStation as well as other platforms

[Flakegriffin]

Obscure will never see the difference or the facts. Just a cloud covering his vision from the facts while getting his information from Twitter.

[Lightning77]

Deathloop released on Xbox last September. Ghost Wire releases on Xbox later this month.

[tbagmonster]

uhm deathloop is on seriess/x right now

[jlove4life]

Zenimax was in financial trouble how we know they didn't offer those games as time exclusives for Playstation as a ploy to entice Microsoft to cut that check

[Crows90]

That's always a possibility. But it obviously makes the whole relationship thing with Microsoft completely meaningless. By their own words the time to exclusives would mean that Bethesda as a publisher had closer relationships with Sony before they were bought.

[Hypertension140]

Crows90
Bethesda was also one of the biggest supporters of psvr, thanks Microsoft for taking that away:P

[BandarHub]

The reason why they gave a 10-year deal rather than a deal forever is that we don't know what the next PlayStation console is. You can't make a deal for a console that doesn't exist. Once it's close to the announcement of the PS6, and Switch 2 then the deal can be renewed for those consoles.
The only thing that is hurting with this deal are people's ego.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

You are assuming that Microsoft would want to renew the deal after 10 years. They aren't obligated to extend anything once they own Activision.

[BandarHub]

There is no reason to keep COD exclusive. Once a game has reached the hands of ten of Millions and has reached global recognition then there is no reason to make it exclusive to one platform.
Minecraft, COD, Overwatch, ESO and maybe WOW(in the future) will be coming to multiple platforms.
It's the Single player games like Starfield, Wolfenstein, Crash and Spyro that will be exclusive to Xbox Echo System

[lonewolf10]

Without any of us being in the know, it might be that Activisions contractual obligations were less than 10 years for Sony/MSoft, they might have a better deal with what MSoft offered. No one will offer life time contracts like this, no one can even say what the next 10 years will bring for the world.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

@lonewolf

The contract that Sony has right now is just for marketing rights... The contract that Microsoft is proposing is for written commitment that they will release the actual game on playstation. Two very different scenarios. CoD not releasing on a playstation console was never a realistic possibility until Microsoft purchased Activision.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Why wouldn’t they if they make billions of PS users? The reason you don’t do indefinite deals is because it doesn’t make business sense.

[shaenoide]

Ok bu you can make deal with Nintendo and NVIDIA without owning AKB ?

[porkChop]

You can when it says in writing that the deal is dependent on the acquisition going through. Until everything is finalized it's basically a legally binding letter of intent.

[staticall]

@BandarHub
Wait a sec, you bring up planned 10 year agreement and how they don't want to release on the next Playstation. But we're in the current generation for 2.5 years already. Console generation usually takes around 7-8 years to release the new version, so next gen will be in ~5 years, give or take. So they'll have to release the games on PS6 or whatever no matter what, if the agreement is signed (because of feature parity). So, what gives? You reason doesn't make any sense, huh?

[BandarHub]

The reason does makes sense...you just have not taken into consideration that Ps5 although a 7-8 year console will still exist in 10 years time. Just like it's going to be 10 years since the PS4 release this year and Cod is still releasing on that platform.

[staticall]

@BandarHub
And CoD is also releasing on PS5. So, following that logic, they'll have to release on PS6. So we're back to where we started.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

They're rivals In the space regardless of what ppl think so I think both can't truly trust each other tbh

[ModsDoBetter]

This ^ 👏

[Thundercat77]

Not only that, Sony shouldn't trust MS in any subject whatsoever. Period.

[darkrider]

Exactly. Anybody that trust Microsoft get what they deserve.... Scalebound... Lionhead. That story is scary. Crackdown 2.... The list gors on and on...

[thesoftware730]

Kinda like,

We believe in Generations, lol.

What about telling 'Bend studio' to F off when they tried to make Day Gone 2? It Must have been a crushing blow to the people at that studio. The game sold well, and they had material for the next one..but nope.

[MadLad]

Both companies have shit down a lot of studios over the years.

[shinoff2183]

Wasn't it rumored that they wanted to do a multi-player game for days gone after 1. Also I highly doubt Sony told them to $uck off

[thesoftware730]

@Shin

He explains on Twitter that, by the time he left Sony, Days Gone had been out for just over a year and a half, and had managed to push more than eight million sales. Since then, it's sold a further million thanks to its release on PC via Steam.

"Local studio management always made us feel like it was a big disappointment," says Ross, while agreeing with a reply saying it's weird that Sony never agreed to a sequel.

The remaining staff asked to be taken off the Uncharted project, which Sony agreed to, leaving Bend to work on its own thing – apparently unrelated to Days Gone.

News of Sony rejecting a sequel did not sit well with fans, who put together a petition(opens in new tab) demanding the company to approve Days Gone 2. At the time of writing, it has reached over 140,000 signatures, although Sony has yet to issue any sort of response.

https://www.techradar.com/n...

Sounds like an F off to me lol

[IRetrouk]

Didn't sony release both next gen only and cross gen games? Sounds like generations to me, also, if you listen to David jaffes interview with Ross and Garvin, days gone 2 was rejected by the upper studio management, after work had already started on it...

[shinoff2183]

the software

That still doesnt address the rumored multiplayer game they pitched for days gone. If that was truly pitched, alot of us days gone fans dont want that. We want another single player game. Also still not an f off either, if thats how it really went.

[thesoftware730]

Can't wait to see what you say when Bungie announces their first PS exclusive.

[MadLad]

Bungie is continuing to work on Destiny 2 into the foreseeable future.
That purchase was meant as a revenue stream, and to consult over at least some of the freetoplay games Sony has coming down the pipeline the next few years.

[darkrider]

Thats path that Microsoft created. And I hope Microsoft gamers get ready for what's coming. Microsoft open the pandaro box.

[Obscure_Observer]

"Not only that, Sony shouldn't trust MS in any subject whatsoever. Period."

I agree. Heres hoping Jim Lyan will put his money where his mouth is and quit with this port begging crap.

[gangsta_red]

Why not, MS has honored every game that was in agreement to appear on PS even after their purchases, Outerworlds, Psychonauts 2, Wasteland 3, Minecraft, Deathloop, Ghostwire...what exactly has MS done to Playstation where they shouldn't be trusted?

The hate for MS on this site from some people here has lifted to insane comic book level status, some people don't even know why they hate MS anymore they're just going along with it all.

[thesoftware730]

MS even launched MC:Dungeons on PS Plus!

They talk all this crap, but Sony never ever let anyone use any IP they own. People act like it's something new to hold your IP, no matter how they were acquired.

Shit, they didn't even allow Spiderman, a character they don't even fully own in the Xbox version of Avengers, even though it would not have hurt their SM games in the slightest.

[rlow1]

Best comment on this thread.

[Lightning77]

They have Minecraft Dungeons on PSN+ and Ghost Wire also on PSN+

MS indeed shares their games when they don't need to.

Yeah they're just going along with the ride it's what gets them the most upvotes. You gotta go where the upvotes are at.

[BlackTar187]

The hate for MS lmao. MS is one of the shadiest and dirtiest companies in all of history. The fact you think they aren’t awful says more about you and your brand loyalty then it does about anyone else.

People who stick up for anything ms related based on decades of being shady and predatory are the real clowns.

[gangsta_red]

@BlackTar187

Absolutely classic! Thank you for proving my point and not letting me down.

[MadLad]

@blacktar

There's a difference from Bill Gates cornering the PC market at a time before virtually everyone on this site even existed, and Phil Spencer wanting to building a strong gaming division.

[Abracadabra]

Let me correct you... Sony shouldn't trust MS and MS shouldn't trust Sony. Both of them will do anything in their power to win. Who ever thinks Sony are saints, is delusional.

[z2g]

omg this article is too basic.

first off. Sony buys exclusives all the time. Do you think they are making any multiplatform games with any of their recent acquisitions aside from Bungie (which requires multiple platforms to be successful)? In fact the only reason MLB The Show started coming out on Xbox was because MLB forced them too or was going to take away the licensing.

Second: Sony basically said they don't want a deal at all with MS, they just want to block the acquisition because....

Third: Sony isn't worried about COD not being on PS. They are worried they will lose their negotiating power bringing exclusive content and buying the marketing rights for PS. COD is one of the biggest active franchises out there and Sony knows they won't be able to sway Activision with money for those deals anymore. MS even offered Sony to have COD be a day one release on PS Plus and they refused while Nintendo was much more open minded about it.

I love PS don't get me wrong, but Sony isn't mistrustful of MS. They just want to continue their rule over major IP and content (Final Fantasy is another one). This is nothing more than Sony taking a hit to their power armor.

[thesoftware730]

z2g,

Facts, these companies are set out for their own interest... the competition be damned.

The Destiny series will probably remain everywhere, but best believe their next game will be PS and PC only.

[IanTH]

https://tinyurl.com/yaw748d...

"But the Bungie/Sony deal seems to have resulted in the best terms of all. Not only is Destiny staying multiplatform and not becoming a Sony exclusive, but Bungie has said it will remain independently operated and be able to release its future new games and IPs multiplatform as well."

So, no, their next game will not be restricted by Sony in any fashion. I'm not trying to trade barbs or wade into the fanboy nonsense, so take this at face value. Isn't it kinda shocking how different the terms between Sony and MS's big purchases were? I'm still confused as to the value Sony is getting from it, tbh. They get live service know-how, sure, but...at half the cost of the Zeni acquisition, MS got a ton of IP and THEIR terms allowed them to wrest the power of where to release out of Zeni/Bethesda's hands, completely removing games from other platforms. Bizarre.

[Lightning77]

I'm not for this deal but damn Sony is digging themselves 6 feet under here. Like why?

Where do I start? For starters it was revealed that Final Fantasy 7, Silent Silent remake and FF16 Were blocked permanently from going on Xbox despite them being "timed" I even pointed out Sony's "timed" deals were very strange and sus. Turns out I was right. Blood borne was never said to be timed at all. So that's not really an argument imo there's been many 3rd party exclusives that never hit a platform in the past. Very normal.

Sony also tried to get Starfield as a "timed" exclusive before MS bought them. There would of been a high chance that Death loop Ghost Wire and Starfield would only been on PS5 only. Again if MS never bought them out.

The 3rd and most important point is Starfield is a new unproven IP vs COD the most well known IP out there. COD needs to be on everything. Sony likes to keep games to themselves why can't MS? They need games to compete as well in general. Again MS owns Starfield Sony is acting like they own these 3rd party games when they don't again Sony is better off buying the Ip.

I dunno how Sony will get themselves out of this one. They need to figure something out.

[DarkZane]

It was revealed by Microsoft, who claimed this without any proof. The fact is, FF7R and FFXVI are not coming to Xbox because Square-Enix doesn't give a **** about Xbox, the game wouldn't sell and make profits under any circumstances, but now that Gamepass is a thing, xbox gamers are cheap, they don't even buy games anymore.

So no, Sony didn't make deals for those games, they don't need to. The reason it's not coming is that SE doesn't care. It's not just FF7R and FF16, it's 90% of their games as well, most are coming to PS5/PS4, PC and Switch but not Xbox. Pretty sure Sony didn't pay for Octopath Travelers 2, Neo: The World Ends with you, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, Tactics Ogre Reborn.

Fact is, Xbox is nothing but last place garbage and with people not buying games because of Gamepass, developers will be skipping it more and more since it makes them no money. Plus there is the Series S holding this gen back, another reason why there will be more PS5 third party exclusives, since developers are forced to develop for Series S and it's going to hold them back, so they will skip it.

Sony doesn't have to give a cent for exclusivity, there is no need to, Microsoft dug their own grave with the Series S and Gamepass.

But whatever, you will keep saying Sony made deals. I guess you will hold on to your delusions as long as you can, it's the only thing the xbox camp has anymore, since it's not like you get games, Microsoft are too incompetent to make them, so they have to buy the publishers to take them away from rivals.

If that deals goes through, Sony will be able to buy whoever they want and no regulators will be able to stop them, since they will have allowed this to go through, they will be powerless. Microsoft opened a box they won't be able to close.

[Tex4242]

First off, it woul be a legally binding contract to keep COD on PS for the 10 years and then I'm sure they would renegotiate a new one at the end. Second, it is possible in my opinion that Starfield doesn't sell as well as they are hoping or it does way better......that MS actually decides to put it on PS. I think Starfield will be a test to see if exclusivety will work out for the new gen of big games on Xbox. Regardless I'm excited for Starfield.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

BULLJIVE! Microsoft honored all existing deals.

[babadivad]

You don't have to trust their promises. Get it in writing and there's no trust involved. Simple solution.

[babadivad]

For the people disagreeing, do you not know how contracts work???

[IanTH]

People know how contracts work, but why stop there? Why not just do like Sony did with Bungie. Create a contract that allows all developers under the ActiBlizz umbrealla to decide for themselves what platforms they support. Easy as that.

We've seen that when that language isn't included - a la ZeniMax games - that they very clearly have influence over what games go where. Which is fine in relation to their contract, it's what they paid for and Zeni agreed to. But it didn't have to be like that, right?

As it stands, PS would not benefit in any way from the merger. Best case, nothing changes (except certain content deals). Worst case, things don't come to PS at all. So why would it be in Sony's interest to allow it? And if MS is being as altruistic as they suggest they're going to be, create a contract that doesn't give MS the power to limit a game's reach. There's ways for everyone to get what they want while MS retains ownership, but they aren't doing that. So it at least makes me wonder why they don't remove all doubt and just do that.

[babadivad]

The gave Sony a contract to guarantee CoD for 10 years. If Sony doesn't trust this on the surface, that's why they have lawyers on retainers to go over it and make sure it says what they think.

If it doesn't, they can rewrite it and send it back to Microsoft with their addendums. Microsoft agrees, both sign, deal done.

No trust needed, you have them over a barrel with a binding contract.

This is normal operating procedure in business.

[gleepot]

heres what i do:
- buy an xbox
- buy a playstation
- enjoy games across them both

[Hofstaderman]

I ain’t spending 500 dollars to play games from 15 years ago, thanks. I want exclusives that define a console not smoke and mirrors.

[IanTH]

I have all consoles from all manufacturers up through last gen, which would be through this gen except I don't have an Xbox Series console. I do have a PC, though, so effectively I'm good on everything.

Even with access to every game possible, I still don't like it when these big moves to consolidate happen. It's not good for a lot of industries, and I don't want to see that happen in the game space either. The number of previously multiplatform IP owned by one company after this acquisition would be uncomfortable in my book.

More personally, it feels like MS struggle to keep studios healthy. Even their from the ground up "AAAA" studio has had nothing but bad press after 5 years. So having all these developers that are currently functioning (relatively) well to then move under MS also doesn't exactly fill me with comfort.

All that is to say that, while you can have access to everything, there's good reasons why you might still have feelings one way or the other about what companies are doing. It doesn't always have to be fanboy nonsense.

[FPS_D3TH]

With how well Xbox sales have been going this games gonna get that one year exclusivity in order for Xbox to even begin to imagine getting a profit.

[lonewolf10]

Just glad I game solely on PC now, no issues with exclusivity with MSoft/Sony games. Might have to wait a year for some but plenty to play until they drop.

[MadLad]

PC is the best way to go. Especially that it gets all of Xbox and (eventually) PlayStation game.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

I think Sony doesn’t want M$ to set a precedent for using Office money to buy Xbox out of a decade-long game drought and years of broken promises.

Sony delivered on their promises over the past decade, and contributed to the medium with at least a dozen classic games.

In the last decade, Xbox made Forza and Halo Infinite… eventually. Not bad games, but not Last of Us or Starfield either.

Xbox needs to make games, not rely on buyouts from M$. Otherwise, what is Sony’s motive to actually try to compete with M$ long term? It’s beyond David and Goliath once M$ starts throwing their true weight around.

[kindi_boy]

no according to lying Ryan they didn't want the deal because they wanted to stop the merger.

[DOMination-]

Microsoft never lied about Starfield. They said specifically that they would continue to support games that had already released on other platforms which they have fulfilled with ESO, FO76 and Minecraft as well as completely honouring the deals already in place for timed exclusivity on Death Loop and the Tango game I forget the name of. They said new games would be decided on a case by case basis.

Starfield is a new IP wholly owned by Microsoft. No deals existed for the publishing of the game at the time of acquisition so MS are free to do whatever they want with it. It really is that simple. No lies, no conspiracies.

[The3faces]

Facts 💯.

[IRetrouk]

https://ibb.co/G2vFtgw

https://twitter.com/TWTHERE...

[StarkR3ality]

The amount of cry babies on both sides of this is ridiculous, don't know where you guys get the time to be this bothered about it.

[Ninver]

Probably unemployed or no responsibilities

[DefenderOfDoom2]

Elder Scrolls 6 will come out on Sony consoles . The question is when??

[Tedakin]

It's a 10 year legally binding contract. Starfield was never announced for PS. The game was announced, the platforms were not. Also why can't I play Final Fantasy or Silent Hill 2 on my Xbox this year?

[JokerBoy129]

It was never announced what platforms it would be on before the acquisition. I honestly think the big reason Bethesda wanted this to be exclusive with Microsoft is due to the problems they had with Sony over mods. This game is going to be huge and modding is going to be a focal point going forward. Sony wouldn't have allowed it just as they didn't allow mods on Fallout 4 and Skyrim that had any assets not in the vanilla version. My guess is that getting the problem child out of the way made development and future plans easier.

[Gravesinger_]

Now we gotta listen to Sony fans cry for the next few months about Starfield.

[D4RC]

This is getting really embarrassing for Sony now. They're making themselves look absolutely pathetic. People in glass houses, Sony ;)

[HyperMoused]

Sony complaining over any exclusive is the most hypocritical crap ive ever heard

[alexkarkar]

Sony is a god of exclusives. Microsoft is right to follow Sony's example.

[Soulsborne]

I can smell the sweat from here, first paid monthly sub for online then having literally NOTHING come out for an entire generation except for controller colors.... MS has been the downfall of gaming for along time. Just quit with the xbox and still to cloud gaming and PC.

[MadLad]

Oh yes. It will be amazing to see what Sony turns into when they have no direct competition. Especially under Jim Ryan.

Man. People on here really do just want their one preferred console on shelves. Yay monopolies.

[YourMommySpoils]

Nobody trusts Microsoft's promises. Nobody trusts Microsoft.

[Smellsforfree]

Say something slightly pro-Sony on this site: massive number of upvotes. Say something slightly pro-Microsoft on this site: massive number of downvotes. So many fanboys here.

[lonewolf10]

Just ignore those little numbers, they don't mean a thing 👍

[agnosticgamer]

lol... It's a binding 10-year deal Sony knows ALL of the details of the 10-year contract. The same contract Microsoft used to expand the availability of the COD franchise to Nintendo systems (pretty sure we all know they are probably talking about the Switch successor). Not something MS would have done if they wanted to restrict access. Microsoft never once said starfield wasn't going exclusive. Microsoft said Minecraft wasn't going exclusive when they bought Mojang and never even signed a binding contract with anyone and kept not only Minecraft multi-platform but also ALL of the Minecraft spin-off games multi-platform as well. What is even more funny had Microsoft not bought Bethesda Sony was aiming at 6-month exclusivity for this game. Pretty sure it would be the same setup for Minecraft. Keep it multiplatform and keep the franchise printing money and help pay off the deal to acquire Activision/Blizzard/King.

[MehmetAlperTR]

So Sony buying studios and making them to Exclusive games.. And it s not problem. But when MS do it.. It's a problem. Did i get it right ?

[Ninver]

Why is it so hard for you people to comprehend something so simple?

Sony bought a studio (singular) MS bought a whole publisher (multiple studios with multiple IPs that would appear on Xbox anyway).

[DarkZane]

Sony bought studio that made 90% of their games exclusives to them already, so nothing was lost. Microsoft buys entire publisher just to take games away from Sony.

Also, they're right not to truth Microsoft, they're the most anti-consumer company and pretty much everything they say is a lie. Everything that comes out of Phil Spencer's mouth is bs and the guy is a despicable excuse for a human being.

[headshotfrosty]

Sony simply doesn't want MS to have a leg up in ANY way. Be it self published or through M&A. It's sad actually. They finally have competition and they are reacting like a scared child. You all touted how strong Sony's first party was for decades now. Lean into it instead of bi%^*#^ing now that you have real competition with a strategy you can't afford. Go buy Capcom or something. You just got Bungie. #haters

[Anomander]

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photo...

[Ninver]

Just pirate the games and give Bethesda and MS the middle finger if they want to play dirty. Problem solved.

[MADGameR]

Starfield is not exclusive to X Box so I dunno what SONY is talking about.......it's also going to be on PC.

[Elda]

It's basically still exclusive to XB consoles, there are 3 major consoles out now & that's PS,XB & Nintendo. When Starfield releases one can not play Starfield on a PS or a Nintendo console only XB.

[Phoenix76]

When 99% of pc gamers HAVE to use MS's windows OS to play the game or own a xbox, then it's a MS exclusive

[headshotfrosty]

But remember that Sony fans called MS exclusives on PC hogwash and not to be considered "exclusive" because of it. Now all of sudden it does really mean exclusive. HAHAHA. You cannot win with them. I promise you.

[Petebloodyonion]

Lol lol lol lol
You know Bioshock was supposed to be on Vita
Blame Microsoft
The missing PS4 version of Gotham knights?
Blame Microsoft
Heck it’s Microsoft fault if Agent was never made.

Also can Sony provide the past games of the Starfield franchise?

[wiz7191]

This is a dumb argument , Starfield is a new IP that Microsoft is fully funding. I don’t know why anybody thought any new IPS were going to be multi platform. The only games from Bethesda that will be multi platform are the games the currently are today , games like Doom Dishonored stuff like that. Even now Bethesda still support releasing updates to games the have released now. Microsoft have studios that are releasing third party games when they don’t even have to , all new Minecraft games and updates still see parity multi platform releases , Pyschonauts 2 saw a multi platform release. I don’t see Bungies new IP getting a multi platform release. They don’t even own square or the FF IP but gamers with only Xbox’s will never get the chance to play a mainline FF for the foreseeable future. Microsoft aren’t dumb that want Sony to have the best COD experience they can deliver , to keep the sales coming in not destroy what they spending $60B on.

[Exvalos]

As a Sony guy I'm mad as hell I won't be able to play Star Fail. But it is what it is. Sony is doing everything they can and saying what they need to, to try and block the acquisition....because that's what there supposed to do. How does Sony look just standing by and watching Microsoft take over call of duty. One of there biggest sources of virtually passive income.

[headshotfrosty]

Lean into those first party's you relied on for so long.

[wiz7191]

Sony has other quality FPS they can resurrect , idk why they aren’t. Games like Socom or even MAG should get new games.

[Elda]

I own a PS5 & an XBSX but I support PS first & foremost due to the quality of games they have released throughout the years. I say Sony needs to pay Starfield & COD no mind & keep doing what they have always done & that's releasing great games. Nintendo didn't have COD & they're doing fine nor will it have Starfield & it will continue to do fine, PS higher-ups need to have that mindset as well.

[S2Killinit]

Nobody trusts their bs.

[MrCrimson]

I don't recall Microsoft promising Starfield would not be an exclusive- like they've done with COD.

[Hofstaderman]

All these guys are crossing their fingers so hard for an acquisition. We three years into this generation. Three years and they have no heavy hitters; Halo is currently in the dumps, Forza is great, gears is somewhat middling and Bethesda is their champion with a yet to be released game built by a team who is known for their launch bugs.
If I were them, I would also be hanging on to any glimmer of hope. MS did them dirty; GamePass has cannabalized sales, publishers don’t want certain games on XBOX as they not supported by you guys and Sony is moving consoles like hot cakes and thereby motivating more publishes to enter timed and outright exclusivity deals because that’s where the market is.
But you guys are latching on to an acquisition….

[Aaroncls7]

sony is the worst, horrible fans too.

[Intentions]

Well, to be fair. MS never promised that Bethseda games would be multiplat or not. While for CoD they specifically said it'll remain multiplat

[mavisiyah]

Authors bought by Sony are constantly making news like this one that tries to create perception.Instead of crying, they should produce new games.

[autoglope]

not really,.. Nobody trusts Microsoft by default.

[DynDasE]

Only naive people would blindly trust Microsoft.
They always solve business issues by throwing money at every industry to outlive their competitors.

[MrSec84]

Of course they are, this game, just like Fallout, Elder Wilds, etc would have been a multiplat until the ZeniMax deal went through. ZeniMax were an owner of a 3rd Party, Multiplatform Publishing House, exactly as Activision-Blizzard are.

Sony, Microsoft or whichever platform holder buying the rights to have exclusivity on one game here and there isn't the same as one of them buying an entire publisher, with control of all of those IPs going to that platform holder.

No matter what way you weigh things up this is an attempt to create a Monopoly and that needs to be stopped!

[MrSec84]

I meant to say '"Elder Scroll" and not Elder Wilds. ;)

[Blaze929]

Sad to see Sony crying like this

[repsahj]

I hope there's another multi trillion company that can counter offer this activision deal and let it stay multi platform(PC/PS/MS/Nintendo). And let the gamers decided who's version will sell better. XD

[headshotfrosty]

You dusty summa b&$%^ches ragged MS gamers for years about quality, quantity, etc. And rightfully, MS needed to get their sugar honey iced tea together and they now have a strategy to do so. Stop the noise. You look sad and desperate. Just create a COD killer if you rely on first party so much. If SONY was thinking big picture they would have done this a while ago and you all would have championed it. No doubt about it.

[Flakegriffin]

Well, at least with Microsoft owning Bethesda we will never get sale figures. We will just get “4 million ships were purchased in the last month. Thanks to you gamers”.

Or the best part: “we have over 20 million people on Gamepass playing Starfield”

[CrimsonWing69]

Ok, well, let's make Playstation 1st-Party exclusive games available on Xbox then.

Exclusives are the definitive factor in making a consumer choose your product over the other. This is just getting stupid.

Sony owns plenty of dev studios that made games on both platforms, Insomniac being one... hell Xbox had Sunset Overdrive, which was console exclusive to them. Never once did I hear any complaints about the Sony acquisition.

Sony has so many better exclusives that Xbox. Why can't they just develop a crazy good "COD killer" and quit acting like spoiled children. Nobody, and I mean nobody other than Sony is against this acquisition.

When the hell does this get to go through so we can all move on from this?

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

doesn't matter if you're a fanboy of either one, it's bad for the industry as a whole. this is why first-party studios are important because they encourage and force competition between companies.

i prefer sony and the playstation brand over ms and xbox but i still want there to be competition between the two because it makes the other one try to do better. if there's no competition, what do you think's gonna happen to the industry as a whole? do you actually think the company with the monopoly is going to put as many resources into making better games when they know consumers only have one choice? a lot of you are rooting for one or the other to completely fail for some reason but if it ever happened, you'd wish the other one was still around because the industry would be stale af.

everyone hates ea but for some reason they're perfectly fine with ms or sony buying third-party studios and companies. why do you think the sports genre is so bad? you want that across the entire industry?

[JEECE]

People saying "Sony is crying about Starfield being exclusive" and "well what about FF16/SH2 Remake/etc being exclusive on Playstation" are missing the point. Sony doesn't care about Starfield being exclusive. The point is that prior to the Bethesda purchase being approved, MS made statements that, were regulators to allow the deal to go through, it would not make financial sense for MS to make future Bethesda exclusive. That deal was approved, and then MS immediately started making Bethesda games exclusive. Now MS is saying it wouldn't make financial sense for them to make Activision games, particularly COD, exclusive. The point is that they were lying before when they made the same statement in a similar scenario, so they are likely lying again.