PlayStation boss Jim Ryan says that he doesn’t believeStarfield’s Xbox console exclusivity is “anti-competitive,” in a surprising admission. Ryan recently provided testimony as part of a United States federal trial to determine the legality of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The potential exclusivity of theCall of Dutyfranchise has been a major focus in regulator analysis of the acquisition. Ryan stated that exclusivity of a major release likeStarfieldmay sway some opinions on how impactfulCall of Dutyexclusivity might be.
Ryan’s testimony stems from an ongoingtrial between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commissionregulatory body. The trial is with regard to the FTC’s effort to impose a “preliminary injunction” on the acquisition, a strategic legal effort that would delay the completion of the acquisition until an FTC review completes. The injunction could effectively kill the acquisition, as the agreement has a date by which it must be completed barring a renegotiation. To pass this date without Microsoft getting a judge’s ruling is believed to be the FTC’s goal, given past struggles to stop mergers in court.
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Jim Ryan took to the stand on day three of the trial and was asked a variety of questions regarding PlayStation, its relationship with Activision and Xbox, and theCall of Dutyfranchise. One of those questions was especially interesting to hear. Ryan was asked if Xbox’s decision to makeStarfield, a game from therecently acquired Bethesda Game Studios, exclusive was anti-competitive. Ryan responded, saying he has no quarrel with it, adding, “I don’t like it, but I don’t view it as anti-competitive.”
What makes this comment so intriguing is that Bethesda Game Studios' titles are major releases. Its two most recent games,Fallout 4andThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, have sold over 12 million and 30 million, respectively. Those are comparable toCall of Dutytitles. If Ryan is comfortable withStarfieldbeing exclusive, then it might be hypocritical to sayCall of Dutyexclusivity on Xbox would be anti-competitive.
The comparison isn’t quite fair, of course. Bethesda Game Studios makes single-player titles. TheCall of Dutyfranchise not only sells millions of copies of gamesbut creates massive levels of engagement online. That results in increased PlayStation Plus subscriptions, microtransactions, and just more players spending time on PlayStation in general.
Needless to say, the situation is significantly more complicated than can be summed up in one Jim Ryan statement or another.Call of Dutyisn’t even necessarily the real heart of the issue with the acquisition. Ryan was previously quoted as saying he’s not interested in a newCall of Dutydeal, after all, he just wants to block the Activision Blizzard merger. There are still two more days of testimony scheduled before a decision is made in the ongoing trial between Microsoft and the FTC.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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