Following the announcement of its decade-long Call of Duty deal with Nintendo, Microsoft presented its case for the Activision merger before the European Commission. This meeting also included rival companies like Sony, Nvidia, and more.
While Sony and Microsoft have yet to agree on the matter, Microsoft President Brad Smith has revealed more information about the gaming industry after his meeting with the European Commission.
Talking to various media outlets, Brad Smith elaborated on Microsoft’s stance on the situation and claimed that Sony owns 70% of the global share between the two gaming giants.
He further revealed that this limited market share is even smaller in some parts of the world. For example, Xbox has captured only 20% of the market in Europe, while this share falls to an even lower 4% in Japan.
Brad Smith also commented on Sony’s performance over the last two years. PlayStation faced many supply chain issues throughout the early parts of the PS5 lifespan but continued to do well, and the PS5 has now surpassed 30 million sold units.
With the release of the Xbox Series S|X, Microsoft has seen improvements in regions like Japan. The Xbox Series S has been a much-needed hit in the Japanese market, but Xbox is still far from PlayStation’s position in the region.
The figures do not appear to consider Nintendo’s role in the market, despite the huge success of the Nintendo Switch and first-party games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild.
Furthermore, Brad Smith hopes to sign a deal with Sony to allow the Activision Blizzard acquisition to go through. He showed an envelope to the press, stating that he had the contract that Microsoft wants to sign with Sony, but the gaming rival has been unwilling to negotiate a deal.
Microsoft has also announced a partnership with Nvidia, bringing Xbox games to GeForce Now. This partnership will include future Call of Duty titles, leading to Nvidia now supporting the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
Looking at the figures, Xbox has remained considerably smaller than PlayStation for over a decade, limiting concerns about future competition in the gaming industry. The gaming giant also remains firm that Call of Duty will continue to be available to PlayStation, despite the edge Xbox could gain with potential exclusivity.
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[News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than three years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.