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Microsoft Reveals Sony Blacklisted 4 Games From Xbox

Sony Blacklisted 4 Games

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Christopher

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Sony Blacklisted 4 Games: The turmoil surrounding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is ramping up. Microsoft submitted its response to the United States Federal Trade Commission’s case against the company yesterday, mocking the FTC’s peculiar position of prioritizing the market leader’s interests over those of customers.

A few months back, Microsoft released a similar answer to the UK CMA, ostensibly confirming what many of us had previously suspected. The announcement for Final Fantasy VII Remake included a countdown timer showing how long the PlayStation 4 exclusive will last.

For this reason, many Xbox enthusiasts had high hopes that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake would make its way to the Microsoft console. Given that Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now accessible on Steam for Windows, Square Enix’s “timed exclusivity” restrictions only apply to PC versions of their titles.

Microsoft’s answer to the UK regulator (first reported by KoreaXboxNews) stated that Sony had arranged permanent exclusion deals for games like Bloodborne, Final Fantasy XVI, and the impending Silent Hill 2 remake.

Aside from this often-overlooked passage from October’s CMA filing, it appears unlikely that the Xbox version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake or Final Fantasy 16 will ever be released. There is speculation that Silent Hill 2 will be released for Xbox One, given that it will launch for PC and PS5 simultaneously with a 12-month exclusivity window.

Infectious battle systems and thousands of hours of thoughtful exploration make Final Fantasy 7 Remake a superb action RPG remake of the classic 90s JRPG.

Also, Final Fantasy 16 is shaping up to be relatively good, and the Silent Hill 2 Remake by Bloober Team is intriguing in light of the series’ legendary reputation. However, the possibility that Xbox won’t receive any of them bolsters Microsoft’s position in the whole content debate.

Sony Blacklisted 4 Games
Sony Blacklisted 4 Games

Windows Central’s take

Exclusive techniques are not unusual, Microsoft admitted in the same CMA brief. It’s no secret that Microsoft has done business in a similar vein before, albeit not as frequently as it has lately. Sony’s agreement for Bloodborne is comparable to the Xbox One’s contract for Ryse or Sunset Overdrive.

However, Microsoft hasn’t typically signed partnerships with third parties that completely lock off rival platforms from porting over successful franchises from those platforms.

The Xbox One version of Rise of the Tomb Raider was a timed exclusive for a short period, and Microsoft took a lot of heat from the game’s press for doing so.

On the other hand, Sony can execute such deals with complete impunity these days, and no one seems to mind. Sony is making the correct decision for its customers and stockholders by ensuring that upcoming games such as Elder Scrolls VI and Starfield will be Xbox One exclusives.

Neither Netflix nor Disney+ needs to provide free content exchanges to each other, and regulators would not (or should not) argue otherwise.

The simplicity of having all content available on a single platform is appealing, but if that were the case, the monopoly that would result could lead to remarkably high costs. Competition leads to lower pricing and the development of superior products and cutting-edge processes.

I believe Microsoft should be permitted to acquire Activision Blizzard despite Sony’s exclusive partnerships with other companies. Even though contracts can end and agreements can be renegotiated, it appears the Xbox will be locked out of Final Fantasy and possibly Silent Hill 2 for the foreseeable future.

Microsoft needs more big-name titles under its banner to compete with Nintendo and Sony, and consumers benefit from the value only competition can give with Xbox Game Pass.

Paradoxically, regulators’ coddling of the status quo is hurting competition, which is ironic given that regulators are intended to encourage it.

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