Sony Blocks Xbox Game Pass From PlayStation; Microsoft Claims it's Attack on Competition
Xbox Game Pass on PlayStation consoles? Sounds like a joke, but recent reports indicate that Microsoft was offering its flagship service to Sony. The Japanese rejected the offer.
It was recently reported that Microsoft responded to concerns raised by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) about the Redmond giant's possible acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As it turns out, the critical response was not all the Americans had to say on the matter.
Xbox Game Pass for PlayStation? Sony has rejected the proposal
Thanks to The Verge editor Tom Warren, who decided to analyze Microsoft's report in detail, we learned that Xbox owners offered access to the Game Pass service on the devices of its biggest competitor, Sony. The Japanese decided to reject the proposal, which would have brought games from the XGP catalog to PS4 and PS5 consoles. Below you can see the journalist's post:
Activision Blizzard games on PS Plus? Sony declined that as well
Interestingly, Warren also pointed to a passage in Microsoft's report, saying that Sony not only deprived its customers of the chance for Xbox Game Pass, but also refused to offer Activision Blizzard games in PlayStation Plus.. Why? According to the Redmond giant the Japanese felt they could earn more by selling games on PS Store (Sony receives a commission from developers for each title sold there).
"There is also no reason to believe that the acquisition of Call of Duty could "tilt subscription services in favor of Xbox." Sony has decided to lock Game Pass to PlayStation, so it is not available on PlayStation. Since all games that are available on Game Pass are also available for purchase, PlayStation players will still be able to buy Call of Duty on PlayStation. And it will still cost less than buying a new Xbox console.
Xbox plans to bring Activision Blizzard content to its Xbox Game Pass subscription. This will benefit gamers by increasing the value of the subscription and expanding access to Activision Blizzard content, which until now has not allowed its productions to be included in third-party subscriptions in any meaningful way. Again, this increased competition has not been welcomed by game market leader Sony, which has chosen to protect its revenue from the sale of newly released games, instead of offering players the opportunity to access them through its PlayStation Plus subscription," Microsoft's statement reads.
Will the explanation affect the CMA's decision? We will find out in some time. Perhaps before that we will get a reaction from Sony.
