Even if every Call of Duty player switched to Xbox, Microsoft says PlayStation would remain "significantly larger"

Microsoft has responded to the CMA's concerns about its almost $70 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition.

In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft said that the Competition and Markets Authority's concerns about the deal are "misplaced" and claims that even if every single Call of Duty player switched to playing on Xbox that "the PlayStation gamer base remaining would still be significantly larger than Xbox."

Article continues below

If you didn't know, the CMA in the UK has sent the Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal to the second phase of its investigation. This means that a panel of experts would look more closely at the deal's potential issues highlighted in phase one.

"While Sony may not welcome increased competition," the statement from Microsoft reads, "it has the ability to adapt and compete. Gamers will ultimately benefit from this increased competition and choice." In the same story, GamesIndustry.biz reveals that Microsoft is still eager to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles as not doing so would "alienate" the fanbase and "tarnish both the Call of Duty and Xbox brands."

In other Microsoft acquisition news, last week it was discovered that Microsoft now has a webpage about why its Activision Blizzard deal is good for everyone. It contains several statements from higher-ups at the company including Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Microsoft Vice Chair Brad Smith, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The latter of which said in an interview not even a full month ago yet that Microsoft is confident about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, despite the CMA's concerns.

Wondering what's on the horizon for Microsoft? Take a look at our upcoming Xbox Series X games list.

TOPICS

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.