PlayStation boss Jim Ryan says that he doesn't believe Starfield's Xbox console exclusivity is "anti-competitive," in a surprising admission. Ryan recently provided testimony as part of a United States federal trial to determine the legality of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The potential exclusivity of the Call of Duty franchise has been a major focus in regulator analysis of the acquisition. Ryan stated that exclusivity of a major release like Starfield may sway some opinions on how impactful Call of Duty exclusivity might be.
Ryan's testimony stems from an ongoing trial between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission regulatory body. The trial is with regard to the FTC's effort to impose a "preliminary injunction" on the acquisition, a strategic legal effort that would delay the completion of the acquisition until an FTC review completes. The injunction could effectively kill the acquisition, as the agreement has a date by which it must be completed barring a renegotiation. To pass this date without Microsoft getting a judge's ruling is believed to be the FTC's goal, given past struggles to stop mergers in court.
Jim Ryan took to the stand on day three of the trial and was asked a variety of questions regarding PlayStation, its relationship with Activision and Xbox, and the Call of Duty franchise. One of those questions was especially interesting to hear. Ryan was asked if Xbox's decision to make Starfield, a game from the recently acquired Bethesda Game Studios, exclusive was anti-competitive. Ryan responded, saying he has no quarrel with it, adding, "I don't like it, but I don't view it as anti-competitive."
What makes this comment so intriguing is that Bethesda Game Studios' titles are major releases. Its two most recent games, Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, have sold over 12 million and 30 million, respectively. Those are comparable to Call of Duty titles. If Ryan is comfortable with Starfield being exclusive, then it might be hypocritical to say Call of Duty exclusivity on Xbox would be anti-competitive.
The comparison isn't quite fair, of course. Bethesda Game Studios makes single-player titles. The Call of Duty franchise not only sells millions of copies of games but creates massive levels of engagement online. That results in increased PlayStation Plus subscriptions, microtransactions, and just more players spending time on PlayStation in general.
Needless to say, the situation is significantly more complicated than can be summed up in one Jim Ryan statement or another. Call of Duty isn't even necessarily the real heart of the issue with the acquisition. Ryan was previously quoted as saying he's not interested in a new Call of Duty deal, after all, he just wants to block the Activision Blizzard merger. There are still two more days of testimony scheduled before a decision is made in the ongoing trial between Microsoft and the FTC.
Starfield launches September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN