Against Xbox – PlayStation: It became a political issue in the US Congress if PlayStation has a monopoly!
The feud continues to take enormous proportions
The past few months have seen a huge feud erupt between PlayStation and Xbox in the run-up to Activision Blizzard ‘s massive acquisition , with countless statements from both sides. Among other things, Sony had accused Xbox of harming its competitor if it actually managed to complete the merger. On the other hand, Xbox and Activision have accused Sony of simply trying to convince regulators to block the deal, and that Jim Ryan, the head of PlayStation, has already made that clear.
Now, as the issue continues to grow, it has even reached the US Congress , but… the other way around . Specifically, a bipartisan group of 11 members of the US Congress sent a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, asking her to look into Sony’s business practices in Japan, which they say hurt Xbox and other US game companies.
The letter, which was brought to light by media outlet Axios, claims that Sony holds the dominant position in the land of the rising sun, with a 98% share of the “high-end console market” that does not include the Nintendo Switch. The letter also accuses Sony of signing exclusive agreements with Japanese game developers and publishers that prohibit them from releasing their games on the Xbox . This may potentially violate Japan’s antitrust laws.
NEW: At least 11 members of Congress have pressed the Biden administration to take action over Sony’s alleged interference with Microsoft’s Xbox efforts in Japan
I obtained two letters sent by House reps. The Republican one’s a bit spicier https://t.co/spi4SqqCYw— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo)
The letter specifically states:
The Japanese government’s effective policy of non-prosecution when it comes to Sony appears to be a serious impediment to American exports, with real implications for Microsoft and many other American game developers and publishers who sell globally but see their profits in Japan decline. are reduced by these practices.
The letter comes just twenty-four hours after a similar concern was raised by Sen. Maria Cantwell during a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, where she cited the same statistic about Sony’s market share in Japan and asked Tai to address the issue.
