Xbox vs. PlayStation: The Two Video Game Rivals Face Off

The two companies are at odds over the agreement reached by Microsoft to purchase Activision, owner of the popular Call of Duty franchise.

Japanese and American companies are investing in strengthening their respective streaming game services.

The relationship between PlayStation and Xbox has had better times. During the last two weeks, the two companies have had several public clashes directly related to the agreement reached by the second, owned by Microsoft, for the acquisition of Activision, the company behind franchises as juicy as Call of Duty.

Currently, the deal, announced to great fanfare in early 2022, is being closely studied by the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), investigating “in-depth” whether the acquisition could put competition at risk within the market. Video game business. Something that Xbox categorically denies while charging against PlayStation, a company that it accuses of having negatively influenced the development of the investigation.

Initially, what most worried PlayStation was that, thanks to the Activision acquisition, Xbox would have the ability to prevent the next Call of Duty, a hugely popular franchise, from continuing to reach its consoles.

Sony significantly exaggerates the importance of Call Of Duty and fails to consider its clear ability to respond competitively. He can adapt and compete. Players will ultimately benefit from this increased competition and choice, says Xbox in a document shared by ‘GamesIndustry.’

The streaming war

The recent purchases of Bethesda and Activision for tens of billions of dollars respond to Xbox’s plan to strengthen as much as possible the “Netflix of video games” called Game Pass. The subscription gaming platform houses over a hundred top-level games, among them the releases developed by Microsoft’s studios from the day of release. Among them are the latest exponents of sagas, such as Halo or Forza.

In other words, for just over ten euros a month, the ‘gamer’ has a wide range of titles. You don’t buy anything; you just rent access to the content. The same happens when you hire platforms like Prime Video or HBO Max.

Currently, the Game Pass has more than 25 million users, much more than PlayStation was able to capture at the time with PS Now, its extinct equivalent service, which has now been revamped to attract more players.

In the end, it has been shown that payment for services is the trend to follow, as we have seen with movies and series. With Game Pass, Xbox has come a long way, and Playstation is adapting now. 

Block in PS

Thanks to Game Pass, the user can play Xbox games without having to have a console from the brand. You can even mash buttons with your mobile or tablet. The company also wanted to use the Call of Duty asset to bring its platform to PlayStation consoles, according to information from Tom Warren, a journalist for ‘The Verge.’ The Japanese brand would have refused to do so.

Since all video games that are available on Game Pass can be purchased, PlayStation players will continue to have the ability to purchase Call of Duty for PlayStation. By doing so, it will continue to cost them less than buying a new Xbox, “can be read in the documents shared by Warren. The company also points out that it intends to protect its profits from its launches.

And it is that, unlike what happens with Xbox, PlayStation does not put its news on its ‘streaming’ service from the day they arrive in stores. The user who wants (and wants to play) the next God of War, which arrives in just a couple of weeks, will have to continue paying the corresponding 70 euros. What you will find in PlayStation Plus are titles, both proprietary and from third-party companies, that have been on the street for a few years now.

Call of Duty is not just any game

For PlayStation, Call of Duty is not just any franchise. Year after year, the new exponents of the war saga are among the best sellers on their consoles. And, for sure, it will continue to be so, at least until 2027, the year in which the current agreement closed with Activision ends, a company that, foreseeably, will become part of Microsoft in the coming months.