PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has admitted he does not view Starfield’s Xbox console exclusivity as “anti-competitive”.
During the ongoing trial between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the head of PlayStation took the stand. During his testimony, he was asked if anything was wrong with Arkane Studios’ Redfall and Bestheda Game Studios’ Starfield being console exclusives on Xbox.
“I don’t like it, but I have fundamentally no quarrel with it,” Ryan replied. When asked how he felt about Starfield skipping PlayStation 5 and being exclusive to the Xbox Series X/S on console, he said: “I don’t like it, but I don’t view it as anti-competitive.”
Console exclusivity, particularly in relation to the Call of Duty, is at the heart of the FTC’s case against Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard. It has pointed to Bethesda’s upcoming space role-playing game Starfield, which is not coming out on PlayStation, as an example of Microsoft’s behaviour after it bought parent company ZeniMax. For its part, Microsoft has committed to keeping Call of Duty multiplatform for at least a decade if it buys Activision Blizzard. Ryan has expressed concern about the fate of Call of Duty, should Microsoft obtain control over the franchise.
Ryan’s comments come on day three of the trial. Within the last few days a slew of new information has come out; this includes Microsoft seriously considering acquiring studios, such as Bungie, IO Interactive, and Sega, to fill its content gaps.
If you want to learn more about the ongoing trial, check out our daily roundups. If you want a more in-depth look at the previous trial days, check out our day one and day two analysis pieces.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.