PlayStation Isn't Actually Scared Of Losing CoD, Says Xbox

thegamer.com:

Call of Duty was a huge sticking point for the Microsoft-Activision deal in the lead-up to the CMA's decision, with Sony arguing that it being an Xbox exclusive would cause Microsoft to dominate the industry with a near-monopoly. This led to Microsoft making promises to bring the series to Nintendo platforms, Sony claiming it believes Microsoft would make CoD buggy for PS5 on purpose, and Microsoft telling Sony to make its own competitor. But allegedly, Sony CEO Jim Ryan was never scared of losing Call of Duty.

In a new document shared by the FTC, Microsoft claims that Ryan made contradictory claims about PlayStation losing Call of Duty in private on the day the deal was announced (thanks, GamesRadar). His claims are redacted, but the document says, "Withholding COD would harm Xbox. It would contradict the valuation the Board relied on in approving the deal, which assumed profits from continued PlayStation sales."

RELATED: Jim Ryan Has No Right To Comment On Call Of Duty And Xbox

Allegedly, Ryan was certain that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation because of its hold on the market, something backed up in the same FTC document; "Even if the merger were to cause every PlayStation owner that played COD for as little as two hours per month to buy an Xbox--a wildly implausible scenario--PlayStation would still remain the console leader [...] [It] would at most put a small dent in [PlayStation's] massive lead."

PlayStation has actually benefitted from exclusivity within Call of Duty over the past few releases. For example, Black Ops Cold War had a timed exclusive Zombies mode, Onslaught, that you could only access via PlayStation for an entire year before it later arrived on Xbox and PC. The $20 battle pass bundle also