610°

Kotick Says Sony "Not Returning" Activision's Calls to Discuss Future of COD & New Opportunities

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has claimed that Sony is "not returning" the former's phone calls to discuss COD & new business.

jonny897447d ago

Why will they? Activision will just repeat what MS has been saying.

HardKnockKid24447d ago

Imagine if MS just went ahead and purchased 10 years of 1 year exclusivity on COD if the deal falls through. Fanboys would probably self destruct. Apparently 1 year exclusivity is fine. Everything is fine unless done by Xbox

VenomUK447d ago (Edited 447d ago )

Two Kotick interviews in a short period of time, this is definitely a PR blitz to put pressure on the regulators.

ModsDoBetter447d ago (Edited 447d ago )

Remember when Xbox had exclusivity with COD in the age of the season pass?

Now with the BattlePass Sony have exclusive bonuses like 2XP & Operators.

I don’t think it’s “fine” either way as consumers will lose out.

Redemption-64447d ago (Edited 447d ago )

That will be the biggest waste of money for MS, and would actually benefit Sony. I believe Activision makes about $1.5-$2 billion a year from Playstation. Most PS gamer will not switch to Xbox for COD, even the survey done by the CMA in UK shows, an estimated 24% will be willing to make the change. MS will not make back the amount of money they spend to warrant them paying that much for 1 single game. This will in turn decrease the sales and user base of COD significantly, giving other games time to build and establish themselves on Playstation. Activision stands to lose in the long run and MS will not make back the amount of money they would invest in such an exclusive deal.

shinoff2183447d ago

10 years of marketing and dumb dlc for a time. Not a huge deal. Ms did something pretty similar during ps3 360 Era. Remember that

shinoff2183447d ago

Redemption

24 percent is alot. Say ps4 sold 120 million I think. 24 percent is huge

JackBNimble447d ago

Shinoff2183
I believe that statement was 24% of playstation cod players, not 24% of ps user base.
Still a big number of cod fans

S2Killinit446d ago

Hmmm, No, you clearly have zero clue.

Kaze88446d ago

Exclusive feature or updates for 1 week before other platforms is not real full exclusivity. 360 era MS had same thing as Sony has now on COD. MW2 etc. still came to XSX like on any other system, don't try to bullshit.

PapaBop446d ago

Imagine if MS took that money and invested it in creating new studios and could actually have something that would resemble a good line up of exclusive games each year.

Noskypeno446d ago

@Papa, 10000% what they should have done. They get new exclusives and still have COD on their console. We've seen what 500 million did with Halo Infinite, but with volume there's a higher chance some of them might be great.

blacktiger446d ago

10 year is too risky for both company,

TheCaptainKuchiki446d ago (Edited 446d ago )

They wouldn't have the right to do that either.
And huge waste of money.
Microsoft, just focus on making MORE and BETTER games. That's literally all you have to do to beat Sony but you've been incapable of doing that for at least 15 years. Throwing your money out the window won't solve anything.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 446d ago
Obscure_Observer447d ago

"Why will they? Activision will just repeat what MS has been saying."

Lol. And Sony acting like a jealous that can´t let go and move forward won´t answer Activision´s calls.

Sony will achieve nothing but the rupture of an already eroded relationship.

Just like Bethesda, Activision can move on without Playstation. Be that with or without Microsoft.

Sony is the only one to lose in case Activision decides and stop supporting Playstation all toguether.

IMO, Jim Lyan is playing a very dangerous game. One he can´t possibly win.

frostypants447d ago

Way to demonstrate a total failure to grasp the situation.

shinoff2183447d ago

I don't think your right on Amy point obscure. First if the Activision deal falls through. No way Activision can just not make games for ps. It's to big. Plus so many Xbox players seem to only play what's on gamepass. I know of 3 people at work that play Xbox. They all only play Xbox gamepass games. It's not an indication of all Xbox players but it's some sort of indication.

derek447d ago

@Obscure, Sony is the only rational actor out on this issue. Just what would Sony have to talk about with Activision while the outcome of this proposed purchase hangs in the balance? Lol. "Hey let's talk about extending that marketing deal.....whoops we're owned by Microsoft now, sorry". Lol. Kotic is just floundering around looking for some way to save his golden parachute.

TheTony316446d ago

You have to be the most delusional Xbox fanboy i've ever seen. Even eclipsing shills like Crapgamer.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 446d ago
badz149447d ago

Haha you dumb-dumbs are just gonna believe whatever Kotick says now? Where is the proof of this Sony "not returning calls"?

Sony is willing to go all this way to appeal for regulators to block the buyout but sure...according to this golden parachute a$$hat Sony aren't willing to "discuss" anything regarding the IP they both are making so much money off every single year!

Yeah...That makes PERFECT SENSE! /s

343_Guilty_Spark446d ago

Nintendo had no issue agreeing to the deal. Sony refuses to make one.

badz149446d ago

@343

Nintendo will take anything. COD is nothing for them in the first place

1Victor447d ago

Activision clearly made a choice decided on a master and is fighting tooth and nails to join their chosen master why would sony talk to them when activision is clearly going against the grains.
I can’t believe he equated the last of us tv show popularity to CoD because it’s based on a video game and Microsoft don’t have tv/movie/music studios they can’t compete with Sony.
If you have a strong stomach and can hold the puke from the fox interview I 🤢recommend you to see it

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 446d ago
Christopher447d ago

Certain their lawyers told them to not communicate about future deals during the buyout. Sony could agree to something that Microsoft would then use to prove that Sony makes it hard for Microsoft to compete or some nonsense.

excaliburps447d ago

But that would mean they aren't talking about future co-marketing deals and content, no? Mind, not saying I approve of that, but just that that's what's being left off the table.

sinspirit447d ago

That's when those involvements carry on with those matters specifically but don't converse or mention anything else. Professionalism. They won't just necessarily cut them off entirely. Notice the title says "not returning" calls FOR a certain topic as well. That's modern journalism. It sounds really bad that Sony isn't communicating at all! But, read everything and it actually means Sony is only not communicating this and that, x and y.

thesoftware730447d ago

Wouldn't it be Sony's lawyers and the business group doing the talking?

If this is true, this just means Sony doesn't want to make ANY deals at all, just straight-up blockage. This could potentially shatter any future good relationship between Sony and A/B, deal or no deal.

CS7447d ago

They shouldn’t negotiate with terrorists

Christopher447d ago

***Wouldn't it be Sony's lawyers and the business group doing the talking?***

No. Business people do the talking. Lawyers write up the contracts.

SeTTriP447d ago (Edited 447d ago )

How are ya'll turning this around on Sony the amount of delusion is real with some of these comments.these games were literally coming out on Xbox with or without the buy so the most logical question to ask is for what exactly? What is the end game?

All sony is being is going to bat for its user base.
Xbox brings absolutely nothing to gaming but because daddy has 2trillon to back your spoil ass you'll just buy the world and sat it on fire 🔥 all because you was never a competitor to begin with.

If Xbox wasn't attached to Microsoft they would've been went belly up or pulled the plug on Xbox.

A botched e3 (the worst I've seen in electronics history imo) rrod, 3 consoles that failed to turn a profit,a failed peripheral, last in consoles sales, last in software sales (by huge margins) and now you want to buy everything because you stepped on the court and couldn't play ball.

At this point I give zero fucks about xbox let them die so somebody else can make Sony better or be better themselves, they holding up the line.

porkChop447d ago

The issue with that is it will look bad to regulators. Sony's complaining (rightfully so) about losing COD but also refusing to have any discussion to ensure COD's future on PS. It hurts their argument against the buyout. It's one thing to not talk with MS, but Activision is still independent and a current business partner of Sony.

Hofstaderman447d ago

Any discussion can be placed on record and be used against them. Sony is not stupid and clearly taking the advice of their legal team.

RaiderNation447d ago (Edited 447d ago )

I think the goal here by Sony is for regulators to focus on looking at this purchase purely on its own as to whether its anticompetitive or not without muddying the waters with potential deals/concessions. Plus its in Sonys best interest for this thing to be drawn out as long as possible to push MS' resolve. They're probably hoping the longer this gets drawn out and the more $$$ its costing MS to get the deal done, the better chance that its no longer in MS' best interest to pursue the deal at all.

porkChop447d ago

"muddying the waters with potential deals/concessions"

But regulators have said they want deals/concessions. They *want* both companies to try to work together. Sony are making themselves look unreasonable and difficult to work with.

Christopher447d ago (Edited 447d ago )

Activision Executives are for the merger. Activision isn't independent. Kotick is literally making all the public rounds he can to sell it.

shinoff2183447d ago

Ms says ten years. Sonys looking past 10 years. Cod isn't gonna just suddenly gonna die off. People gonna continue to support that game for years to come.

derek447d ago

@porkchop, do you not understand? The regulators themselves have determined that this proposed purchase would hurt UK consumers if it was allowed to go ahead, the debate about Sony's place in all,this is over.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 447d ago
rlow1447d ago

How is it nonsense if that is in fact what Sony does? They have always locked out others to benefit their console.

jznrpg447d ago

They buy multiplat publishers and call them their own games and make them exclusive ? Nope

shinoff2183447d ago

Rlow1

Same as ms. No console maker is innocent of this. Why does sony catch flak, are you complaining about ms and Nintendo doing this also. Ms went pretty hard with 3rd party exclusives during 360. Remember reports they even paid 50 mill for gta 4 dlc timed exclusive. Do you

JackBNimble447d ago

Like timed exclusive and marketing deals?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 447d ago
derek447d ago

Why would they with the specter of the acquisition hanging over everything. Lol.

frostypants447d ago

Even Kotick surely understands that. His antics are getting increasingly desperate.

Vengeance1138447d ago

How many rings did Activision wait for someone to pickup, one? Then just shrug and go ahhh well, we tried, Sony won't answer us.

GamingSinceForever447d ago

He said they’re not returning calls.

So the question should be did they leave a voice message? 😂

Mr_cheese447d ago

Phoned from an unknown number

GamingSinceForever447d ago

@Mr_cheese…or the number came up as Spam Risk.

Show all comments (103)
220°

Microsoft Survey Asks About Handheld

A new survey from Microsoft has further hinted at the possibility of an Xbox handheld being in development.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
EasilyTheBest16h ago

This is definitely happening, I just hope they have 2 versions one with a much bigger screen.

GamerRN4h ago

I'll be happy with this, and a PC console hybrid that rivals anything we have power wise

Number1TailzFan1h ago

The problem with bigger devices is playing them on your side in bed, Vita and before that was fine. Since the Switch you gotta have a gooseneck holder & controllers detached so you can lie down holding them, or your arm will quickly get tired.

KicksnSnares15h ago

Day One buy for me if they'll make a dedicated handheld device.

darthv725h ago

i have that logitech g-cloud. Its a sweet little piece of kit. I like that it can also install games from the play store unlike the other android based handheld.

mudakoshaka4h ago

It sure is! Don't understand why you get the down-votes. Whoever does not like the G Cloud must have been dropped down a well, head first, when they were of a younger age.

PassNextquestion5h ago

I wonder if Microsoft will perform better in Japan if they do actually make a handheld since everyone says handheld and mobile are king over there.

TiredGamer5h ago

This looks like the future of the game industry... all three platforms with a handheld option.

I wonder if the Playstation Portal is a technology test-bed/prototype for a future Playstation handheld?

rlow13h ago(Edited 3h ago)

It’s a possibility but I can’t help but think would that be the best way to go about it? Though it would give you data on how much it is used and game type. It’s still not a true portable device and so people approach it differently. I think that data on phones, tablets, and of course the competition would give a better indication.

But I really think if Sony is considering a new PSP that could play ps5 games, now would be the time to dive in. Honestly, if they do this, it would be huge.

Traecy1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Doubt if Sony PS wants to support a new handheld with first party games. Something they lacked with the Vita. What they should do is have a handheld that is like the PS Portal which can play all games but play those games on the go as well as at home. Something like that is a better investment.

Show all comments (21)
320°

Square Enix Declares $140m Loss Amid Game Pipeline Shakeup

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth publisher Square Enix has declared a $140m loss based on a shakeup of its internal development pipeline.

Read Full Story >>
techraptor.net
Furesis13h ago

What are they doing over there? Sounds like they canceled something big. I read a rumor a while back about ff9 remake . Here "Final Fantasy IX has gone through a very challenging development, the game is still in progress but may undergo changes drastic enough that we won't hear about it for a couple of years."
This could be one of the reasons if the rumor is true. That was Silknight i don't know how credible he is but it's something and it would make sense.

-Foxtrot12h ago

I hope IX is still on the cards

Just a straight up remake which they expand a little bit nothing over ambitious

If IX dosent happen then VI and VIII will never be thought of.

Kakashi Hatake1h ago

6 and 8 were way more p popular games despite today's cult following of 9.

TiredGamer10h ago

What are they doing? Sales are falling and the costs are out of control. Big releases need to be absolute sales home runs now, and Final Fantasy sales have stagnated.

Now we know why Square didn’t fall over themselves to remake the original FF7 all these years ago. It certainly wasn’t a license to print money, at least not with what the expectations were. Each of these full on remakes drains an enormous amount of company resources for a razor thin profit margin.

TwoPicklesGood10h ago

Breaking the game up into multiple parts was a mistake IMO.

blackblades9h ago

The loses came from cancelling games nothing else.

shadowT12h ago

Do not miss Final Fantasy 16. Great game!

raWfodog12h ago

I'm waiting for them to release the complete edition bundle, but it's definitely on my list.

PhillyDonJawn11h ago

Wth is going on with the gaming industry?

mandf10h ago

Corporate investors taking everything

TiredGamer10h ago

Not rocket science. Compare sales numbers, development cycles, and budgets to the previous gens. We are all collectively burning up the industry from the inside out. Expectations are ludicrously high now for every release and sales are dropping for even the most prestigious of series.

We used to be satisfied paying $50-60 for a game that took 1/100th the budget and staff to make. Now gamers feel cheated if they have to pay the same for a game that took 100x the budget. We may be reaching the end of the line for this model of gaming.

wiz71916h ago

@tiredgamer I think your point is one that ppl don’t understand and you hit it on the nose .. some gamers don’t want to take accountability but it’s some of the gamers fault the industry is where it’s at .. we as gamers set the standards for the industry not the shareholders , ppl forget that the shareholders and the industry want and need OUR Money. Both the Xbox and PlayStation are seeing a drop in hardware , the industry is very stagnant right now.

Tacoboto8h ago

Speaking to Square:

Turns out their mismanagement wasn't related to the western studios they dumped to Embracer, but their own fault.

With regards to Xbox - a good way to kill your brand is to pull support on high quality titles and only dump B and C-tier titles to it

With regards to PC - Epic Games Story exclusivity for any duration and piss-poor optimization will hurt you.

With regards to FF Pixel Remasters - y'all messed up by barely releasing them on physical, like wtf that was free money!

And lastly, you don't help a franchise by releasing a mainline title that undermines every title that came before it. FFXVI was a DMC-like with bottom-of-the-barrel side quests and I can't imagine that helping Rebirth at all considering its marketing is directly tied to how big that game is.

Tacoboto6h ago

Sony is getting their best titles and with the most polish, so what about it? Nintendo gets their top properties too, for titles that can run on Switch hardware.

It's the other fanbases that get the second- and third-class treatment from Square. If that's due to agreements with Sony, that's not a Sony issue but a Square one for accepting those terms. Sony is doing its best to look out for Sony.

TiredGamer11h ago

The industry implosion is continuing. Sky high budgets, prolonged development windows, stagnant sales numbers, and falling currency values (inflation) are wreaking havoc on the legacy industry. AAA games will slowly become the rarity.

CS711h ago

Sad. Rebirth was one of my favorite games in a long time. Should have sold more.

CrimsonWing6910h ago

Oh I’m with you. What’s worse is they can say, “Well we tried to make this amazing game and spend all this money on, but not enough people showed an interest. So no more of these since we can’t take a hit like that.”

The industry is going to take a dramatic shift. Mark my words on this.

rpvenom9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

I think there is quite a large portion of individuals like myself who held out on buying it on PS5 because I can get it on PC eventually. To be able to mod the game and also have custom graphical settings to my liking

Show all comments (30)
280°

Xbox Games Showcase Followed by [REDACTED] Direct Airs June 9

- Xbox Wire - Mark your calendars! The Xbox Games Showcase followed by [REDACTED] Direct airs June 9. More info inside.

Read Full Story >>
news.xbox.com
bionicstar11h ago

Will they show Fable 4, Stalker 2, GoW 6 & Perfect Dark?

PhillyDonJawn11h ago

Crossing fingers for Fable and perfect dark. And State of Decay 3

RaidenBlack6h ago(Edited 6h ago)

And maybe Clockwork Revolution, South of Midnight, Contraband, Project 007 & OD? lol
and whatever happened to Everwild ?
+ that rumored Wu Tang RPG

Sonic18815h ago(Edited 5h ago)

Will they have official release dates and gameplay?

anast11h ago

Another game pass event with their plans to go all streaming.

11h ago
Lightning7710h ago

It's an Xbox showcase that they have every year.

Make smarter comments for once.

anast7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Tell me what a smarter comment is.

If they don't sell game pass the entire time, then I will be wrong. All of this can be proven once the show gets underway. Let's wait and see.

10h ago
9h ago
8h ago
7h agoReplies(1)
Lightning776h ago(Edited 6h ago)

Wow too easy.

You went from MS going all streaming to selling gamepass content in which we all know they are.

Which one is it?

Pretty clear you don't know what a smart comment is at least you admit you don't know.

6h ago
anast2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

"Another game pass event with their plans to go all streaming."

It's both. I would worry about your own intelligence at this point. It seems that there is not enough to go around for you to worry about how smart other people are.

Lightning772h ago

It's just a regular event announcing games. Nice one captain obvious they're gonna mention gp stuff like they do every year what else is new.

The all streaming part is just you, being you I guess. They have streaming options but going all streaming again is just you pulling stuff outta thin air.

anast1h ago

You don't know what a smart comment is or isn't. You're welcome for the help.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 1h ago
darthv7211h ago

Wonder if they will address the handheld rumors....?

jimb0j0nes11h ago

For a brief moment I thought we might get a whole Direct for Gears 6 - seems like it's COD though!

Show all comments (38)