Microsoft has explained to the UK Trade Authority (CMA) the difference in the exclusive treatment of different games and intellectual property from the companies it has purchased over the years.
The CMA said that Microsoft has already made titles like Redfall and Starfield from Bethesda Game Studios exclusives and The Elder Scrolls 6 as well, which shows that it will be able to do the same with Call of Duty, as it does so for thoughtful new properties. and established series.
In the latest documents released, Microsoft responds to the CMA and says The Elder Scrolls 6 is a “medium-sized” game, without the oomph or reach of a series like Minecraft or Call of Duty. The company says it doesn’t want to lose the money it would make with Call of Duty on PlayStation, but that doesn’t apply to Bethesda’s series.
In its justification for buying Activision Blizzard, Microsoft says it makes business sense to turn a “mid-sized” title like Elder Scrolls 6 into an exclusive. Microsoft says cross-play games are more valuable as cross-platform, but newer properties or with an uncertain audience and niche titles are more valuable as exclusives.
Starfield and Radfall fall into the new IP categories or those with an uncertain audience. Apparently, Microsoft puts The Elder Scrolls 6 in these categories as well. Fallout 76, for example, is being described as a niche title, though it was recently revealed that it has over 13 million players.
Referring several times to The Elder Scrolls 6 as a “medium-sized” game, Microsoft says its exclusivity won’t hurt Sony, as its popularity can’t be compared to that of Call of Duty or Minecraft.
Microsoft has also indicated that The Elder Scrolls 5, the most recent, was released in 2011, so we don’t have a case of losing a series to PlayStation.
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