Xbox says pulling Call of Duty from PlayStation ‘makes zero business sense’

Sony and Microsoft’s war of words over the Xbox maker’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard continued on Thursday, with both companies exchanging statements about Microsoft’s commitment to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation.

The public back-and-forth occurred just as reports suggest that the European Union may increase its scrutiny on Microsoft’s deal. The U.K. regulatory authorities announced that they will be closely investigating the agreement, fearing that it could limit competition unfairly, a few weeks back. According to the Financial Times report, similar concerns are being expressed by the EU and they will move towards a more thorough investigation.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz on Thursday, Sony praised the EU’s stance: “By giving Microsoft control of Activision games like Call of Duty, this deal would have major negative implications for gamers and the future of the gaming industry,” the company said. “We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality gaming experience, and we appreciate the [U.K. Competition and Markets Authority]’s focus on protecting gamers.”

Microsoft responded archly with: “It makes zero business sense for Microsoft to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation given its market leading console position.”

The statement sounds a lot like other statements Microsoft made about Call of Duty. However, Sony’s deference is something that is quite new. It appears that Microsoft’s messaging strategy is to present itself as the smaller market player, making its acquisition of Activision not a threat to Sony or broader competition. However, this statement doesn’t answer the question as to what would happen if Sony wasn’t the most prominent console brand.

Despite this rhetoric, the deal will remain in place until United States investigators have been able to fully examine both companies as well the market. They can either approve or make concessions for Microsoft.

Call of Duty has two titles in the pipeline for its next release. Call of duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone 2.0, which headlined the franchise’s Call of Duty Next streaming event on Thursday, and are set for release later this year.