Microsoft has told the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority that Sony has more and better quality exclusives for PlayStation than Microsoft has for Xbox. The Xbox maker pointed towards Metacritic data which shows the top 20 exclusive games on PlayStation scored an average of 87/100 in 2021 compared to Xbox exclusives which scored an average of 80/100 in the same period.
Aside from having better ratings, Microsoft pointed to data that shows PlayStation exclusives made up 10-20% of game sales on PlayStation, while exclusives on Xbox only made up between 0-10% of game sales. These percentages were replicated by platform when looking at digital in-game purchases too.
Microsoft reiterated in the PDF that it would not be pulling Activision titles from the PlayStation. Regardless of what Microsoft says on that matter, the CMA is still concerned about the possibility. To help assuage the CMA’s fears, Microsoft highlighted the above details that even if it were to make Activision games an Xbox exclusive, Sony still has great exclusives with a big appeal.
Activision Blizzard is behind titles such as Overwatch, Diablo, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, and StarCraft. Call of Duty is the title that Sony is most concerned about because it’s a huge franchise, drawing in people, even casual gamers. While the UK has decided to scrutinize the Activision acquisition by Microsoft, several countries including Brazil and Saudi Arabia have given their permission for the deal to go ahead.