Sony concerned Microsoft's Activision Blizzard purchase will see Xbox "leapfrog" PlayStation
Sony has privately described Microsoft's $68.7bn takeover of Activision Blizzard as a potential «leapfrog» moment for its long-term console rival to take the lead.
Threats identified by Sony include Microsoft using Call of Duty to «disrupt and threaten console gaming and game subscription markets», with a potential «massive threat to PlayStation Plus».
Sony has frequently expressed its concerns about Microsoft's Activision Blizzard takeover in public and in private. Today brings more detail on how exactly PlayStation believes Xbox will benefit from the buyout, via Sony company slides included in the Insomniac Games hack, which include detail on how Sony itself can respond.
«Activision provides incredible strategic value across live service games, scale in mobile and PC storefront (Battle.net),» Sony wrote, describing the various advantages Microsoft has now added to its portfolio with the deal freshly completed.
Call of Duty remains one of the most popular gaming brands in the world, with annual premium releases and the ongoing Warzone live service battle royale. Activision Blizzard also, of course, owns mobile gaming giant King, home of Candy Crush, which rakes in billions of dollars in revenue each year. The company also runs Battle.net, the popular launcher home to various Blizzard games on PC.
In addition to all of that, Microsoft has now stated it is building a mobile gaming store to compete with Apple and Google, as part of a bid to grow the audience of the Xbox brand to more devices.
Sony identified all the above as having the potential to «leapfrog our current pillars», which are «already dated and behind the competition».
Specifically, Sony states it is concerned over the potential impact to PlayStation
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