PlayStation Show May Have Been Delayed by Microsoft Investigation
It's possible that Sony's big show dedicated to PS4 and PS5 games has been postponed due to the CMA's investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The PlayStation brand owners reportedly do not want to give additional arguments to the Redmond giant.
For several months now, industry media have been suggesting that a major Sony show dedicated to PS4 and PS5 games awaits us. The latest likely date for the event seemed to be August 2022, but in the end the Japanese company did not even organize a "regular" State of Play, let alone the PlayStation Showcase awaited by fans.
It is possible that such a decision by the company was dictated by a protracted indirect battle with Microsoft - to prevent the Redmond giant from being able to take over Activision Blizzard. The reports come from an industry insider and analyst who tweets under the pseudonym Millie A.
Microsoft's deal is currently being investigated in detail by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). In September, the regulator launched an extended second-level investigation, and one of its main objections is based on the fact that the Redmond giant's acquisition of Activision Blizzard will disrupt competition in the console market. This is supposedly going to happen by making brands like Call of Duty fall under the wings of the company - and they may want to cut off their main competitor, Sony, over time.
Microsoft tried recently to convince the CMA that the Japanese conglomerate's leading position in the market is unassailable, enabling it to engage in activities such as raising console prices without worrying about a shrinking player base, which is allegedly more than double the number of Xbox users.
CMA questioned many of these arguments, so to speak, taking Sony to task. According to Millie A, the whole situation is meant to keep the Japanese company from holding a major game show. This is because it would be akin to putting strong cards in Microsoft's hand before the final round. No wonder - at the alleged PlayStation Showcase, which, according to the informant, initially was to be held today, on October 18, the presentation was to include Silent Hill (that title will be seen tomorrow at the Konami showcase) and Hideo Kojima's new game, which will star actress Elle Fanning.
If Millie A's reports turn out to be true, there is unlikely to be a Sony show before the conclusion of Competition and Markets Authority's investigation. The British regulator is currently waiting for Microsoft's response, which will be given by October 28 at the latest.
