John Paul M. Joaquin Tech 03.20.2023 06:Mar AM EDT

Microsoft Reveals PlayStation’s Biggest Third-Party Developer To CMA

Microsoft is not pulling punches in its efforts to acquire Activision.

The Redmond, California-based tech giant recently published its response to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) stance on blocking the company's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The CMA is one of, if not the first, regulation watchdog to block Microsoft's acquisition deal with Activision in 2022.

Microsoft's Response to The CMA

Microsoft mentioned in its response to the CMA's concerns regarding its acquisition of Activision that Sony won't be affected much when its deal with Activision goes through.

The tech giant revealed in a table that Electronic Arts outrank Activision as Sony and Microsoft's third-party supplier, followed by Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive, per PlayStation Lifestyle. Microsoft clarified that the table is based on game sales data in 2021, and it didn't include any free-to-play games in the equation due to their nature.

Microsoft also mentioned that Sony itself is the fourth-largest game publisher in the world and the fourth-largest game supplier of PlayStation consoles. Gameranx noted that the blue band running from Sony to PlayStation is wide as it is means that Sony keeps its own published games almost entirely exclusive to PlayStation consoles.

The wideness isn't an overestimation, either. Microsoft claims that Sony has 286 games, which are all exclusive to PlayStation consoles, including games like God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us.

You may remember that the God of War games, including the original hack n' slash trilogy focusing on the Greek pantheon, was created by Sony's first-party studio, Santa Monica Studio. Meanwhile, Marvel's Spider-Man was developed by Insomniac Games, another first-party PlayStation studio, and The Last of Us video game series was created by Naughty Dog, a video game studio Sony acquired in 2001, per Crunch Base.

Gameranx also assumes that EA gets a large share of PlayStation's business from its own sports games, such as FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 2021, which could have played a major role in assuring EA would get a majority of Sony's game sales in and outside of America.

Speaking of The Last of Us, Microsoft and Activision want the CMA to take note of the success HBO's "The Last of Us" TV show is enjoying, stating that its success is a good reason for the merger between the two companies to go ahead.

Activision's Statements On The Merger

Activision solidified its position in the video game industry as the fifth largest game publisher and is smaller than several other game publishers like EA and Take-Two Interactive. The company also stated that it has been either the third-placed or fourth-placed publisher behind Sony (which happened in 2020), with Take-Two and Ubisoft following closely.

These statements mean that Sony, Nintendo, and other of Microsoft's competitors wouldn't suffer when it does acquire Activision.

While many believe that Activision is on the same level as EA when it comes to acquiring other developers, which in Activision's case is Blizzard and King, the two companies are, in fact, not because of how EA "plays" the merger and acquisition game.

For those unaware, King is another video game developer Activision acquired in 2016, per the comapny's About Us section.