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Phil Spencer Chastises Sony for Acquisition Criticisms

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Spencer said PlayStation grows by “making Xbox smaller.”

Microsoft and Xbox have been facing gradually heightening scrutiny from both regulatory bodies and industry competitors as they continue to pursue their landmark acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard. Sony and PlayStation in particular have been the most outspoken critics of the deal, expressing concerns that a single company holding dominion over such a major publisher would irrevocably tilt the game industry out of balance.

In an interview with the Second Request podcast, Xbox head Phil Spencer offered some fiercer words for Sony regarding the acquisition and their criticisms. “Sony is trying to protect its dominance on the console. The way they grow is by making Xbox smaller,” said Spencer. “[Sony] has a very different view of the industry than we do. They don’t ship their games day and date on PC, they do not put their games into their subscription [service] when they launch their games.”

“Sony is leading the dialogue around why the deal shouldn’t go through,” continues Spencer. “The largest console maker in the world raising an objection about the one franchise [Call of Duty] that we’ve said will continue to ship on the platform. It’s a deal that benefits customers through choice and access.”

There is still no concrete date for the deal’s closure as Microsoft continues to face pressure from antitrust regulators around the world.

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