Microsoft says that PlayStation gamers won’t even consider moving to Xbox if the sale for Activision goes through and the company holds franchise rights to Call of Duty. The company says that it outsourced a research survey in January and the result show as little as 3% of the PlayStation community would move to Xbox to play Call of Duty on the platform if it was the only place to play the game.
This number is a bit lower than the previous survey which claimed that around 15% of “avid” Call of Duty PlayStation players, who spent more than R1600 on the series each year, would switch to Xbox.
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Based on these stats, Microsoft has issued a claim in the ongoing CMA case to argue the so-called “impact” the Activision sale would have on the industry. A spokesperson for YouGov, the commissioned survey firm, says that it “makes zero business sense to take Call of Duty off of PlayStation” given the latest figures.
Internal research at Microsoft claims that a low of 10% of Call of Duty players who call the series a “favourite” would consider switching consoles for exclusivity reasons.
The CMA is set to release its final ruling on the Activision Blizzard deal on 26 April. The EU was originally set to rule on 16 April but the date was recently delayed due to new findings. The EU has urged global commissions to take their time with ruling their decision on the matter saying “regulators must not race to be the first to conclude mega deals”.
All eyes are on Microsoft, Sony and the CMA during this trial as it would decide whether or not Microsoft officially owns Activision Blizzard and all of its assets. The sale will amass close to $69 billion and is the biggest acquisition in the history of gaming.
Source: Axios
