Microsoft has made a bold claim that Sony pays for “blocking rights” to stop developers from adding their content to Xbox Game Pass. The claim comes from the same document where the recent Call of Duty news was exposed. In the document, Microsoft confirmed that Call of Duty would not be profitable if it was on Xbox Game Pass. Now, digging further into the details, Microsoft has said that Sony pays to keep games off Xbox Game Pass.
Now as much as this might sound like a cruel attempt to ruin Microsoft’s subscription service, it might actually mean what we already know. We know that Sony spends a lot of money across the industry in order to create “PlayStation Exclusives”. Often these exclusives come in the form of timed releases where the game only launches on PlayStation for an entire year or longer before Xbox.
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Microsoft’s claim of “blocking rights” could be referring to this exact business approach. In fact, businesses do this all the time. Whenever there is a so-called “timed exclusive launch”, be it on the Epic Games Store, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox or PS5 – it happens. It is called “business”. The document isn’t quite clear on what Microsoft is referring to. It reads:
“Microsoft’s ability to continue expanding Game Pass has been hampered by Sony’s desire to inhibit such growth. Sony pays for ‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services.”
Clearly, Microsoft is aware of Sony’s tactics to pay developers for rights to a game way before Xbox gets them. This has happened a lot lately. Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo is still MIA on Xbox. Let’s not forget that Final Fantasy VII Remake is still nowhere to be seen on the Xbox platform. This is thanks to Sony’s “blocking rights” in the form of a fat wad of cash.
If Microsoft means otherwise in this statement then there could be a reason for concern. If the company isn’t referring to the timed exclusive rights, but rather saying Sony pays developers under the table to keep games off Xbox Game Pass then we have a problem. However, I highly doubt that’s the case.
Source: Brazil CADE
