Sony skewers Microsoft for canceling Redfall on PS5, calls revised CMA report "surprising, unprecedented, and irrational"

gamesradar.com:

Sony and Microsoft have released updated responses regarding a recent report from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority which walks back several of its concerns over the Xbox Activision deal, and what do you know, Sony is not happy while Microsoft is practically dancing in the streets. 

In its response (opens in new tab) to the addendum, Sony argues that "the CMA's reversal of its position on its consoles theory of harm is surprising, unprecedented, and irrational." Basically, the CMA is now focusing on the financial implications of Microsoft making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox, with its updated report ruling that this "would result in a significant financial loss for Microsoft post-merger" and therefore not make a lot of sense.  

Despite the CMA's revised assessment of Microsoft's incentives, Sony is still focusing on the power this acquisition would give Microsoft, namely "the ability to foreclose PlayStation" and the CMA's "determination that such foreclosure would substantially lessen competition." Sony's argument is seemingly that even if the CMA sees no or lessened financial incentive for Microsoft to make Call of Duty exclusive, the company would still be able to do that after buying Activision, and it's leaning on Microsoft's previous post-acquisition behavior to make its point. 

This isn't the first time Sony's made this argument, but it has found new ammunition in the news that Redfall's planned PS5 version was canceled after Microsoft bought Zenimax and Bethesda. And yes, it is curious that this evidence is only coming up after an IGN (opens in new tab) report, which Sony directly cites. 

Microsoft claims it has not "pulled any games from PlayStation," but reports of Redfall's adjusted course came