Recent Document Reveals Microsoft Criticizing Sony For Paying To Keep Games From Releasing On Xbox Game Pass

While Sony Interactive Entertainment took the lead in hardware sales the past console generation, Microsoft went ahead to form a separate business model in which overtook even the PlayStation venture pre-set back in 2014. At the time, the only game library subscription service was PlayStation Now. However, with the release of Xbox Game Pass and its expansion to other portals like PC and smartphones, the service swiftly overtook the competition.

Although PlayStation 4 sales roughly out performed Xbox One by 2:1 easily, Xbox Game Pass went on to outsell PlayStation Now by nearly 5:1 when the PlayStation service was recorded at 3.2 million as of last May. By January 2022, Xbox Game Pass exceeded more than 25 million subscribers. Of course, Sony Interactive Entertainment went on to implement the new PlayStation Plus tiers which does combat Xbox Game Pass, but apparently there is more to that.

In a new report from The Verge, Microsoft in one document went vocal sharing that Sony’s ambitions against Xbox Game Pass is through legal measures blocking titles from being featured on the Xbox service. The discovery comes from a statement to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE).

“Microsoft’s ability to continue expanding Game Pass has been hampered by Sony’s desire to inhibit such growth. Sony pays for ‘blocking rights’ to prevent developers from adding content to Game Pass and other competing subscription services,” the Xbox firm claims. While it is unsure the true intentions on behalf of Sony, there are possible reasons for this.

For one, Sony could be making exclusive deals for its services which would entail this situation. Or perhaps publishing arrangements for select games refrains titles from being added to opposing services from competitors. But, Microsoft is not so virtuous when playing the same game. On a surface level, Microsoft bought its way to making future titles like Starfield, Redfall, and possibly even The Elder Scrolls VI from releasing on PlayStation hardware.

Looking ahead, this could be possible for other titles such as The Outer Worlds 2 and Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga for the same reason. With the upcoming deal costing Microsoft $69 billion for Activision Blizzard, it was clarified Call of Duty would not be one of those instances. But, it is unsure of other properties if the deal is fulfilled. Elsewhere it has proven Sony is not a victim either in the past.

In that, it was reported that Sony for the longest time held its own revenue stream for developers looking to implement cross-platform play for its titles. Outside of Xbox or Nintendo, Sony was the only platform holder charging game studios to bridge servers to other hardware for its own game. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you surprised by the statement made by Microsoft?

Source: The Verge