Starfield is the Reason Sony Doesn't Trust Microsoft With Call of Duty
Sony fears that Microsoft's promises of no Call of Duty exclusivity will end up like with the Bethesda acquisition.
Sony has pointed out the reasons why it does not believe Microsoft's declarations about releasing the Call of Duty series on competitors' devices. The PlayStation owner made this clear in a statement included in a document shared by UK's consumer protection authority (CMA).
The issue of Call of Duty remains central to the Activision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft. Admittedly, the company has made promise that CoD would continue to be released on PlayStation (and will appear on Nintendo consoles), but Sony has already more than once given hints that it does not believe these declarations.
In the same CMA document, Sony Interactive Entertainment mentioned that the Redmond giant is notorious for failing to honor commitments imposed by regulators. SIE also pointed to the issue of the acquisition of ZeniMax and its games (including Starfield) as evidence of the insincerity of Microsoft's intentions.
The European Commission document concerning that purchase mentions (on page 22) that after the transaction "Microsoft would have no reason to stop or limit the availability of ZeniMax games for purchase on competing consoles." Similar assurances were made by company representatives in an investor call (via Seeking Alpha).
Meanwhile, barely a year later, Phil Spencer stated that the deal would make it possible to "deliver great games exclusive" to Xbox. Some time later, it was revealed that Starfield - undoubtedly Bethesda's biggest launch in many years - would would not appear on PlayStation 5.
Therefore, Sony believes that if the Activision Blizzard deal is finalized, Microsoft may seek to reduce the presence of Call of Duty on competitors' consoles. Or, as it claims, sabotage releases on those platforms to make them less attractive than on Xboxes.
