Tag: Sony - Page 2
News Sony Has 'Sufficient' Time To Develop Call Of Duty Alternatives, Says Microsoft
When taking a 10-year deal into account
The UK CMA has published another new document related to the ongoing Activision Blizzard saga this week, this time focusing on Microsoft's responses to the CMA's questions at a recent remedies hearing. You can take a look at the
News Xbox Execs Congratulate Sony's Shuhei Yoshida On BAFTA Award
"A lot of respect for you..."
Microsoft and Sony might be embroiled in a war of words over the Activision Blizzard takeover right now, but that doesn't mean they can't be nice to each other from to time! Case in point, the new BAFTA award for Shuhei Yoshida. Yoshida, who is the former president of Sony Worldwide Studios, has been awarded a BAFTA...
News UK CMA Documents Reveal Six Companies In Favour Of Xbox ActiBlizz Acquisition
"PlayStation needs better competition"
There's more talk about Activision Blizzard going on today, and that's because the UK's Competition and Markets Authority has made more recent documents available to the public, including responses from Microsoft and Sony. Perhaps the most interesting new documents are related to six companies who have thrown...
Reaction Should Xbox Produce A Mid-Gen Upgrade If Sony Launches 'PS5 Pro'?
Striving to compete
A huge gaming rumour doing the rounds today (via Insider Gaming), is that Sony is planning on launching a mid-gen PS5 upgrade, with a "tentative release date" of late 2024. If such a device exists and launches around that time, that would put a Sony 'PS5 Pro' console right in line with when Xbox launched its mid-gen Xbox One X...
News Sony Remains 'Extremely Sceptical' Of Reaching ActiBlizz Agreement With Microsoft
"The Transaction should be prohibited or subject to a structural remedy"
The Activision Blizzard drama has opened up once again today following newly published responses to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority from both Microsoft and Sony, although they're actually dated February 22nd, 2023 - this is just the first time we're getting to see...
Report Xbox Feels UK CMA Has 'Significantly' Overestimated The Impact Of COD Exclusivity
If it ever happened
The UK Competition and Markets Authority is one of the various regulatory bodies currently overseeing Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal, with the authority consistently hypothesising why the deal could, and possibly should, be blocked. One of those reasons is related to Call of Duty, with the CMA even suggesting that
News Microsoft Granted Access To Certain Sony Docs As FTC Continues To Scrutinise ActiBlizz Deal
Some access granted, some denied
Many of you have probably been following Xbox's ongoing Activision Blizzard negotiations, with Microsoft still trying to secure regulatory approval for its mammoth deal. As was perhaps expected, Sony has become one of Microsoft's biggest obstacles for the deal going ahead, and it looks like the PlayStation owner will...
News Xbox Claimed Some Market Share From PlayStation In 2022, Suggests Analysis Firm
"Sony sheds market share to Microsoft"
Entertainment industry firm Ampere Analysis has posted a new report on the gaming market in 2022, and it makes for some pleasant reading for Xbox fans. The firm has updated its sales estimates for Xbox Series X|S consoles up to the end of 2022, while also claiming that Microsoft gained some market share from...
News Baldur's Gate 3 Devs 'Aren't Playing The Exclusivity Game' With PlayStation
Despite yesterday's 'State of Play' trailer
Update: It turns out the Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3 has run into some technical issues during development, which is why it hasn't been announced as of yet. We've covered this story elsewhere on Pure Xbox: <related ids="145700"> Original story: One of yesterday's biggest 'State of Play'...
News Xbox Says It's Offering 'Better Deal' Than Sony's Current COD Contract, Which Expires In 2024
"It's a better deal for Sony than the one they have right now"
Microsoft has been very upfront about offering Sony 10 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation following Xbox's Activision Blizzard acquisition, an offer also extended to Nintendo this week. Even though the likes of Nintendo have now accepted the deal, the PlayStation owner is yet to accept...
News Microsoft And Sony Fail To Make Activision Blizzard Agreement At EU Court Hearing
The Xbox owner has a contract "ready for Sony to sign"
After today's EU court hearing regarding Xbox's purchase of Activision Blizzard, the landscape has changed significantly. Nvidia has agreed a deal with Microsoft, Nintendo has entered an agreement with Xbox - things are looking up. However, there's still the small matter of PlayStation owner...
News Sony Feels Microsoft Is Committing 'Obvious Harassment' In Relation To ActiBlizz Deal
What is going on?!
Not too long ago (although it all seems like a blur at this point), Microsoft ordered Sony to attend court to present its findings regarding Xbox's Activision Blizzard purchase. That court trial hasn't gone ahead yet — the hearing is currently planned for August 2nd — but it seems like Sony isn't too happy with Microsoft's...
News Activision Blizzard CEO Accuses Sony Of 'Trying To Sabotage' Xbox Takeover
Bobby Kotick speaks out
The latest chapter in the never-ending Microsoft and Activision Blizzard saga arrives in the form of comments from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who hasn't held back with his thoughts on Sony's role in the process. Speaking to the Financial Times this week, Kotick accused Sony's leadership team of "suddenly" failing...
News Activision Blizzard Thinks Sony's 'The Last Of Us' Can Help Justify The Xbox Acquisition
"Sony will be just fine without the FTC’s protection"
The talk of the TV world right now is undoubtedly Sony and HBO's The Last Of Us series, which has drawn massive attention through its first few episodes — and even Xbox's Phil Spencer has been loving it! However,
Reaction Xbox Needs A New, Reliable Competitor For PS5's 'DualSense Edge'
Giving us the edge
A lot of Xbox fans will be seeing Sony's brand-new, high-end controller doing the rounds in gaming circles at the minute, with PlayStation finally getting into 'Xbox Elite' territory with the 'DualSense Edge'. The Japanese company's new PS5 pad is an impressive-looking bit of kit, building on what Xbox first introduced with the...
News Microsoft Orders Sony To Attend Activision Blizzard Court Hearing This Summer
For the FTC trial
Things are getting real now! As part of Xbox's ongoing tussle over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has issued a subpoena to Sony - summoning the PlayStation owner to attend an FTC court hearing this summer. According to a new filing in the overall case, Microsoft issued the legal order on January 17th, expecting...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Praises Sony's New PS5 Accessibility Controller
'Project Leonardo' is currently in development at PlayStation HQ
Earlier this week, Sony unveiled its own version of Xbox's Adaptive controller - a device built to enable anyone to game comfortably and effectively. While we don't know all of the details on Sony's version — 'Project Leonardo' — just yet, Xbox boss Phil Spencer is already liking...
News Sony Joins Xbox's Accessibility Mission With 'Project Leonardo'
But will it be compatible with other platforms?
Microsoft has been a market leader when it comes to accessibility in gaming, and has often called on other video game companies around the world to help make gaming more accessible to the masses. Well, in a surprise announcement today at Sony's CES 2023 press conference, the creator of PlayStation has...
News Microsoft Causes Confusion With Statement About Sony 'Excluding' Games From Xbox
Is it timed or permanent?
Earlier this week, we pointed out that Xbox fans wanted to know what was going on with Square Enix in 2023, and that article ended up being shared far and wide, creating an entirely new story of its own! Xbox News for Koreans on Twitter responded to the article by sharing a Microsoft response to the
News Microsoft Refers To Lack Of Xbox Exclusives As Why ActiBlizz Deal Should Be Approved
In comparison with PlayStation
Yesterday, we highlighted a Bloomberg report in which Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed his disappointment with the US Federal Trade Commission for not sitting down with the company to discuss a proposal related to Call of Duty. According to the report, this was an offer for
Report Microsoft Offers Sony The 'Right' To Include Call Of Duty On PlayStation Plus
But the deal hasn't been accepted yet
We've heard on many occasions that Microsoft has proposed a 10-year deal to Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but now a new report is suggesting that PlayStation Plus might be involved as well. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft has offered Sony "the right to sell
News Phil Spencer: Sony Wants To 'Make Xbox Smaller' To Protect PlayStation's Dominance
"They have a very different view of the industry"
Before all the Game Awards and FTC lawsuit madness that took place this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer made an appearance on the
News Microsoft Shows Frustration As Sony Fails To Respond To 10-Year Call Of Duty Offer
"It’s clear they’re spending more time with the regulators"
Earlier today, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed the news that a 10-year commitment has been agreed to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo (and Steam) following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but as of right now, we still haven't heard about what's happening with Sony and...
Report Microsoft 'Held Meetings' With Sony Last Week To Discuss Activision Blizzard Deal
FTC expected to make a decision in January
The latest update in the ongoing Activision Blizzard saga has arrived this week courtesy of Seeking Alpha, with the outlet reporting that Microsoft and Sony "held meetings" to discuss the acquisition this past weekend. The report mentions that Microsoft is "working to give assurances to Sony that it will...
News 'Microsoft Wants PlayStation To Become Like Nintendo', Claims Sony
That's one way to look at it!
As you've probably already seen, Sony Interactive Entertainment's "Observations on the CMA's Issues Statement" from October 2022 was publicly revealed earlier today as part of the ongoing investigation into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition, and it's basically a long list of reasons why Sony doesn't think the...
News Jim Ryan Denies Sony Is Misleading Regulators Over Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal
The PlayStation boss speaks out
The saga continues! Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan has expressed a few words today as part of a New York Times report concerning Xbox's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, denying claims that Sony has been misleading regulators throughout the process. In recent weeks, Microsoft has...
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Chimes In On Sony's God Of War Ragnarok Launch
You love to see it
Ahead of God of War Ragnarok's PS5 launch, Xbox exec Aaron Greenberg popped up on Twitter last week to express his excitement about playing Sony's latest exclusive title. This is a typical sight for an Xbox exec at this point; the team is open and honest about what they're playing! Well, now that the game is out there in the wild,...
News Microsoft Reacts To EU's 'In-Depth' Investigation Of Activision Blizzard Deal
"We want people to have more access to games, not less"
The European Commission is the latest authority to launch a deeper investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with the region now looking at all aspects of the deal. The EU has set itself a March 2023 deadline to make a call on the merger, and Microsoft could then be...
News Sony Could 'Respond' To ActiBlizz Deal By Improving PS Plus, Suggests Microsoft
"Sony has the ability to respond competitively"
There's been a lot of talk over the past week about the CMA's investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and in Microsoft's response to the authority, we found some interesting comments about PlayStation Plus. Basically, the document goes into detail about why Microsoft thinks...
News Microsoft Intended To Release Xbox Game Pass On PlayStation, Sony 'Blocked' It
PlayStation Game Pass?
More and more information from the UK authority's scrutiny of Xbox's ActiBlizz deal is starting to trickle out, and this drop is a juicy one. Again via The Verge's Tom Warren, Microsoft has discussed Game Pass and the fact that the service could have been on PlayStation, had Sony wanted it. In defending its Activision...
News Xbox Argues With UK Regulator Over Activision Blizzard Deal
"The CMA's concerns are misplaced..."
Right, the gloves have come off over at Microsoft HQ it seems. The Xbox owners have begun, well, arguing with the UK's competition regulator regarding its 'Phase 2' analysis of the Activision Blizzard merger. In short, Microsoft is accusing the UK CMA of taking Sony's comments into serious consideration without...
News Phil Spencer Passionately Defends Xbox Game Pass Over Call Of Duty Concerns
"Competition is about driving competitors to innovate"
As we've already mentioned today, Xbox boss Phil Spencer was recently interviewed by CNBC on a wide variety of topics as part of Tokyo Game Show 2022, including Sony's recent concerns with the Activision Blizzard acquisition. Spencer talked about vari
Reaction More Gaming Acquisitions Doesn't Necessarily Mean More Exclusives
The tides are changing
We seem to be caught in a whirlwind of gaming acquisition news as of late, from progress on the Xbox ActiBlizz deal, to Embracer buying a bunch of studios, to rumours about an EA deal, and even more besides. While these deals often bring out both supporters and sceptics in
Reaction Will Xbox Follow PlayStation In Raising Console Prices?
Update: Microsoft issues a response
Update: It looks like we've got our answer! Microsoft has issued a statement today to various outlets suggesting that the price of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will remain the same - at least for the forseeable future. Phew! Here's the full quote: “We are constantly evaluating our business to o
News Sony Didn't Pay To Keep 'Cult Of The Lamb' Off Xbox Game Pass, Says Publisher
Update: "This is absolutely untrue"
Update: Devolver Digital, which publishes Cult of the Lamb, has since reached out to TheGamer about this story to state that the rumour is "absolutely untrue" and Sony didn't pay to keep the game off Xbox Game Pass. "This is absolutely untrue". Original story: There's been a lot going around lately about how...
News Xbox Says Sony's Concerns About Call Of Duty Are 'Simply Unjustifiable'
The fight continues
Scrutiny surrounding Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal is increasing, especially as Microsoft has seemingly submitted all of the required info to the FTC. While such a process is formality in a deal of this nature, we're now seeing Xbox react to other opposing parties. In the gaming space specifically, Xbox appears to believe Sony...
News Xbox Accuses Sony Of 'Paying' To Block Games From Game Pass
Fiery comments from Microsoft
Earlier today, details on an Xbox-related document filed by Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) were uncovered, and one of the claims is that Sony is paying to block content from appearing on Game Pass. The report and these comments are related to the impending acquisition of Activision...
News PlayStation Seems Worried About Xbox Owning Call Of Duty
Sony says the series 'has no rival'
We all know how incredibly popular Call of Duty is, and just how big of a deal Xbox owning the brand could potentially be. However, most of us don't have quite as much stock in the series as Sony does, and what happens to CoD is clearly of huge interest to the PlayStation owner. In a Q&A between Sony and a...
News Xbox Series X|S Has Outsold PS5 In Japan, Again
Similar results came last month
Xbox Series X|S seems to be doing pretty well in Japan, all things considered. While beating out the PS5 for any given period is largely down to supply constraints, the fact that the system is really selling at all over there is a big improvement on last generation. Well, just as it did for a week in May, the console...
News PlayStation's Jim Ryan Continues To Dismiss Game Pass-Style Launches
The Xbox model is a "significant risk" for PS5 first-party games
It seems that people just can't move away from Xbox Game Pass when talking about the new PlayStation Plus revamp. In a recent investor Q&A, PlayStation's Jim Ryan was once again asked about comparisons to Xbox's service, and whether launching first party games there is something...
News Xbox Series S Just Outsold Both PS5 Models In Japan
It's been a successful week for Xbox in Japan
2022 has been a good year for Xbox hardware sales. Back in February, Series X|S outsold PS5 in both the US and Europe, having never done so before in the latter region. Now, Xbox Series S has outsold PS5 in Japan for the very first time, and it didn't even need the help of its big brother. This data...
News Early Look At PS Plus Premium Shows How It Compares To Xbox Game Pass
Let the battle commence
Right, Sony has finally revealed more information on its huge overhaul of PlayStation Plus, and it's starting to compare quite heavily to Xbox Game Pass. While Sony has confirmed that its first party games won't launch on any tier of PS Plus, its newly revealed game list shows a huge reliance on classic PlayStation first...
News Sony CFO Says That Game Pass-Style Launches Would Cause Exclusives To 'Deteriorate'
"That will deteriorate the first-party title quality"
Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki has discussed the the idea of PlayStation exclusives launching on PS Plus; a hot topic since Xbox Game Pass began to integrate first party games many years ago. This time, comments come from a recent earnings call and for now, the company line hasn't changed. That line is...
News Former Xbox Employee Joins Bungie As 'Project Lead' For Destiny 2 Expansions
Phil Spencer: "Congrats Catarina"
Earlier this year, Sony shared some surprising news - revealing it had acquired the former Halo developer Bungie for $3.6 billion. It seems it's not the only former team Xbox member jumping ship to PlayStation. Former senior program manager at Xbox's research and development division, Catarina Macedo, has now...
News Digital Foundry Analysis Shows Xbox Offers The Best VRR Experience On Console
As the feature arrives on PS5
VRR, or variable refresh rate, is a feature that often flies under the radar in the console world. Basically, the technology smoothens out visual and gameplay stutters that crop up as a result of varied frame rates. It's been around on Xbox since midway through the last generation — as long as your display supports...
News Jeff Grubb Suggests Another Square Enix Acquisition 'More Likely' Following Western Studio Sale
Could the Japanese side of the business be sold?
It seems to be acquisition season right now in the gaming industry. Embracer Group, the huge Swedish firm who owns the likes of THQ Nordic, recently picked up Square Enix's Western studios, and now there's talk of WB Games being up for sale too. However, business regarding Square Enix might not be...
Reaction Should Game Pass Ultimate Add Free Trials For All Xbox Games?
Sony is reportedly doing something similar for PS Plus
Xbox Game Pass has become a cornerstone of the Xbox ecosystem, a real feather in the platform's cap. However, we can admit that it's not perfect, so, should Microsoft take a leaf out of Sony's book with a reported new feature coming to PlayStation? That feature is a service-wide game trials...
News Sony And Nintendo Follow Xbox's Lead In Changing Subscription Renewals
A win for the consumer
Earlier this year, Xbox began to make some changes regarding digital purchases. Basically, a UK authority said it had "identified concerns" regarding auto-renewals on Xbox platforms, and the board reached out to Microsoft in an effort to see change. In return, the company advised it would "provide more transparent, upfront...
Guide Here's How PlayStation's New Services Compare To Xbox Game Pass
PS Plus Essential, Extra, Premium vs. Xbox Game Pass
PlayStation has officially revealed its new tiered subscription plans, with three levels available to players. Each level includes a range of different benefits, with some clearly positioned to compete with Xbox Game Pass. So, how do they all compare? And will any of them really rival Microsoft's...
News PlayStation's Game Pass Competitor Could Be Announced Next Week
Increased competition
We've heard for a good while about PlayStation competing with Xbox Game Pass. The thing is, they've just never done it. While PS Plus and PS Now offer good value, neither can top Game Pass. It looks like Sony wants to change that narrative. A new
