Microsoft takeover of Call of Duty maker wipes $20bn off Sony shares
$20bn (£14.7bn) has been wiped off the value of Sony after its rival Microsoft announced a record-breaking deal to buy the Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard and take the console wars into the metaverse.
Shares in the Japanese conglomerate closed down 13% on Wednesday, their biggest fall since the global financial crisis in 2008, as investors reacted to the possibility that the $70bn bid for Activision Blizzard could result in hit games titles being pulled from the Sony PlayStation console and subscription service and offered exclusively on the rival Microsoft Xbox and subscription service.
The blockbuster deal is not only the largest Microsoft has struck but also the biggest ever in the gaming and tech sectors. It sparked a wave of investor interest in further consolidation, with shares in Electronic Arts, the maker of the Fifa football series, and Take-Two Interactive, the maker of Grand Theft Auto, rising. The shares of other video games companies also rose. France’s Ubisoft, which makes Assassin’s Creed, was up almost 12%, while Japan’s Capcom and Square Enix both rose 3.5%.
“Sony’s response [to the deal] will be one to watch, of course,” said Clay Griffin, an analyst at the research firm MoffettNathanson. “But we question its ability to go toe to toe with Microsoft financially. We doubt Sony could digest something of the scale of Electronic Arts or Take-Two.”
Sony has led Microsoft in the sale of consoles and exclusive games, such as Spider-Man and God of War, which have bolstered revenue from its PlayStation Plus subscription service. On Tuesday, Microsoft said it aimed to offer as many of Activision Blizzard’s hit titles, which also include World of Warcraft, on its Xbox Game Pass and PC Pass subscription
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