PlayStation boss calls Microsoft's post-acquisition Call of Duty offer "inadequate on many levels"

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has spoken out against Microsoft's offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for "at least several more years" beyond Sony's existing agreement with publisher Activision Blizzard, calling the deal "inadequate on many levels" - despite Microsoft's insistence it went "well beyond typical gaming industry agreements".

It's the latest shot fired in an increasingly public back and forth between the two companies as governmental scrutiny of Microsoft's proposed $69bn USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard grows, particularly in relation to its impact on other gaming platforms. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority, for instance, recently said the deal would give rise to the "realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition in gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud gaming services."

It's in this climate that Xbox boss Phil Spencer last week attempted to placate concerns it might be looking to make the hugely popular Call of Duty series - which the CMA called "important and capable of making a material difference to the success of rivals' gaming platforms" - an Xbox exclusive if the acquisition gained approval, insisting that it had "provided a signed agreement to Sony [in January] to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract".

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