Microsoft has accused Sony of paying “blocking fees” to keep games off Xbox Game Pass. The tech giant made these claims in documents submitted to Brazil’s national competition regulator.
“Microsoft’s ability to continue to expand Game Pass has been hampered by Sony’s desire to inhibit such growth”, indicates the company In the documentswhich are part of the review on the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Likewise, Microsoft accuses the Japanese company of unethical practices. “Sony pays for ‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services“, Add.
LOOK: Bill Gates will increase his fortune with a millionaire investment in this business
Do Microsoft’s accusations about Sony have substance?
According to The Verge, Sony couldbe paying for the exclusive rights to their own streaming servicesor you can have clauses in some publishing contracts that prevent some games it publishes from being published on rival subscription services”.
In other words, it does not necessarily mean that the Japanese company is carrying out bad practices, as Microsoft affirms. “It’s unclear exactly what Microsoft is referring to here, but game publishing contracts can be complexespecially when it comes to streaming rights and subscription services”, adds the North American media.
LOOK: Street Fighter V for free: how to download the ‘Ryu’ and ‘Chun-li’ fighting video game on PlayStation 4
The controversy is due to the fact that the Brazilian regulator has been asking Microsoft’s competition about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which is usual when there could be an attempt to monopolize the market. “Sony previously responded to the Brazilian regulator stating that it would be difficult for other developers to create a franchise to rival Activision’s Call of Duty. and that it stands out ‘as a category of games in its own right’”, indicates the American portal.
For its part, Microsoft indicated that Activision Blizzard games “have nothing special” it’s a statement, where he minimized the titles of the company. These claims were taken as a way to soften criticism of a monopoly attempt by the tech giant.
–