Sony Paid Studios to Discriminate Xbox - Official Confirmation

We are constantly receiving new information about Microsoft's high-profile trial against the US Federal Trade Commission. Recently we learned that the court rejected the regulator's request to halt the Xbox manufacturer's merger with Activision Blizzard, and now we can learn more about the justification of this decision by Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley presiding over the case. In it, she cites, among other things, excerpts from the testimony of Phil Spencer and Jim Ryan.

Sony paid to skip Xbox games

The most interesting parts of the aforementioned justification was pointed out by Florian Mueller on Twitter, who specializes in regulatory topics. Thanks to this, we can learn that:

1. the Japanese giant often paid developers for inferior treatment of the Xbox. The companies were supposed to deliberately skip or delay the release of games for Microsoft's consoles (this officially confirms previous speculation and rumors);
2. Final Fantasy XVI was cited as examples, which made its market debut on June 22. Judge points out that previous installments of the series were coming to the Redmond giant's devices, and now Sony has paid Square Enix to skip the Xbox in its plans and make the game a PlayStation 5 exclusive;
3. ZeniMax has also been paid by Sony to skip the release of Deathloop and Ghostwire onthe Xbox, but since Microsoft took over the company in 2020 for more than $7 billion, the plans were not realized.

The document also included the well-known fact that Microsoft was concerned about Sony's intentions to sign a deal with ZeniMax for the exclusivity of Starfield. This was one of the main reasons why the Xbox manufacturer decided to take over ZeniMax.

Sony vs. Microsoft - 8 to 1 exclusive title ratio

The justification also says that Sony bases the PlayStation brand primarily on exclusive titles created by its own studios and bought from third-party developers. These are what ensures the company's success and are crucial for the Japanese manufacturer.

1. Over the years of operating in this way, Sony has secured a huge competitive advantage while supporting itself with a music, TV or movie library.
2. Comparing the current number of Sony and Microsoft exclusives, it can be said that for every 1exclusive of the American company there are as many as 8 "exes" from the Japanese.

Not surprisingly, on this basis, the court dismissed the Federal Trade Commission's concerns about Microsoft dominating the competition after finalizing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

After Microsoft's recent court successes, Sony is now on the defensive. However, the Japanese may once again draw attention to themselves by revealing the PlayStation 5 Slim. According to recent, unconfirmed reports Sony will prepare a special event in August and unveil a slimmed-down version of its latest console.

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