Activision Blizzard isn’t the biggest publisher for PlayStation, says Microsoft
In a document sent to the UK’s antitrust authorities, Microsoft explains that Activision Blizzard isn’t the biggest PlayStation publisher when it comes to sales, a role filled instead by Electronic Arts, followed by Ubisoft. In fact, Call of Duty would be fifth behind Sony itself.
The detail is discussed in the document sent by Microsoft in response to the structural remedies proposed by the CMA for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, through a graph that you can see in the image below that explains the 10 largest publishers and the global sales data of 2021 .
As far as can be seen, Activision Blizzard is the fifth largest publisher, followed by Bandai Namco and Warner Bros. Games. The first three vacancies are filled by Electronic Arts, Ubisoft e Take-Two, the parent company of two, and twoK. This has a similar situation, while on Switch the biggest publisher in the world is expectedly Wii, followed by Ubisoft. While you need to understand the graphics, don’t factor in free-to-play titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Warzone.
Microsoft is clearly out to show that while Sony was acquired by Activision Blizzard, it wouldn’t hurt Sony by acknowledging the fifth largest publisher for PlayStation.
In the same section of the document, the Redmond giant underscored Sony’s stance on other platforms, with most of its first-party games still limited to PlayStation consoles.
Players buy console games from different publishers. The game’s largest game provider is EA, followed by Ubisoft and Take-Two.
Sony keeps its published games almost exclusively on PlayStation. In fact, Sony has 286 games exclusive to the PlayStation, including some of the most successful and popular titles like God of War, Spider-Man and Last of Us.
The CMA will announce its final judgment on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard on April 26, 2023. The European Commission will follow her, which recently changed its ruling to May.
