Battlefield "cannot keep up" as a Call of Duty competitor, says Sony

Sony has alleged Battlefield failed as a Call of Duty competitor due to the sales disparity between the two.

Earlier today, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority published Sony's arguments against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Where Microsoft has argued that Battlefield would compete with Call of Duty, Sony disagrees, claiming that the former failed to compete with the latter.

The logic behind Sony's disagreement lies in the total sales figures of the two shooter franchises. Where the Call of Duty series has sold over 400 million copies in total, Sony writes, Battlefield has sold a total of 89.7 million, making it comparatively weak enough to fail as a competitor.

"Call of Duty is too entrenched for any rival, no matter how well equipped, to catch up," Sony says. "It has been the top-selling game for almost every year in the last decade and, in the first-person shooter genre, it is overwhelmingly the top-selling game."

"Despite the similarities between Call of Duty and Battlefield, the Battlefield franchise cannot keep up," Sony continues. "As of August 2021, more than 400 million copies of Call of Duty had been sold, while Battlefield had sold just 88.7 million copies."

The CMA previously voiced concerns over Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, publishing such comments in September. Despite this, Microsoft's CEO said he was confident about the deal closing later that month, and a new report revealed the company offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, which the latter reportedly wasn't impressed by. 

Activision Blizzard's president recently told employees he was confident the Microsoft acquisition would close by June 2023.