Xbox Explains to US Judge Why Halo Isn’t on Playstation

Boy, oh boy! The court battle between Microsoft and the US Federal Trade Commission is heating up, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer took center stage on Friday. He spilled the beans on some juicy details about Microsoft’s business practices and didn’t hold back when it came to throwing shade at Sony, their gaming console rival.

According to a report from The Verge, Spencer testified that Microsoft is currently playing catch-up in the console wars, trailing behind Sony and Nintendo. But here’s the kicker: Spencer swore under oath that if Microsoft’s acquisition of game publisher Activision Blizzard went through, they wouldn’t sabotage the Call of Duty games on Sony’s PlayStation platform. No way, no how!

“I would raise my hand, I would do whatever it takes,” Spencer passionately declared in court. “My commitment is, and my testimony is, that we will continue to ship future versions of Call of Duty on Sony’s PlayStation 5.” Talk about a bold move!

The Call of Duty franchise is at the heart of this courtroom clash, as Microsoft aims to seal the deal on acquiring Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 billion. But hold your horses! The Federal Trade Commission claims this acquisition would stifle competition in the video game industry. It’s a real showdown!

During his testimony, Spencer didn’t mince words about Sony. He accused them of using their moolah to undermine Xbox’s position in the market. He claimed Sony was playing dirty by snatching up third-party companies to keep their games away from Xbox. Sneaky, sneaky!

But wait, there’s more! Spencer dropped a bombshell when he revealed that Sony deliberately delayed the release of Minecraft on the Xbox. Can you believe it? They even sent Microsoft a wonky version of the game that wasn’t properly optimized. Talk about playing rough!

Naturally, Sony didn’t waste any time firing back. They remained tight-lipped when asked for a comment on Spencer’s remarks. The tension between these gaming giants is palpable, folks!

This court battle has been a long time coming. Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard over a year ago, and since then, they’ve been jumping through hoops to get approval from antitrust regulators worldwide. But the biggest roadblocks are in the UK and the US, where agencies are throwing up barriers, citing concerns about a lack of competition in the video game industry.

Well, well, well! The gaming world is abuzz with anticipation as these gaming titans duke it out in court. Who will come out on top? Only time will tell, my friend. Stay tuned for the next episode of the console wars!