Sports Interactive Director Miles Jacobson hit back at Sony’s recent criticism ofXbox Game Pass. During Microsoft’s federal trial with the FTC over its proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition, it came to light thatPlayStation’s Jim Ryan called Xbox Game Pass destructive, positing that “all” major publishers “unanimously” dislike the service.
While Microsoft’s attorneys questioned Ryan’s suggestion that he speaks for the entire industry, the Sony Computer Interactive CEO insisted that this unfavorable perspective of Xbox Game Pass was a commonly held view across the gaming space. This wasn’t the first that the executive pushed back against the $68.7 billion deal, asRyan repeatedly met with regulators over the Activision Blizzard acquisitionsince Microsoft announced its blockbuster buyout attempt in early 2022.
RELATED:Sony’s Call of Duty Deal With Activision Only Includes One More Game
Ryan’s latest criticism of Xbox Game Pass has now been directly disputed by Jacobson, with the Sports Interactive boss asserting that PlayStation doesn’t speak for all third-party developers and publishers. Elaborating on that point in a recent interview with Eurogamer, Jacobson said that “different games work well in different situations,” suggesting that generalized statements like Ryan’s claim that “all” publishers dislike Xbox Game Pass have little basis in reality. From Sports Interactive’s perspective, the decision tobringFootball Managerto Xbox Game Passyielded extremely positive results, not least because it massively expanded the reach of the studio’s flagship series, Jacobson revealed.
Sports Interactive’s parent company appears to share that sentiment, asSega previously went on record to praise Xbox Game Pass, citing it as a major factor driving the continued growth of its numerous franchises. Apart fromFootball Manager, the Japanese publisher has so far brought many games from theYakuzaandPersonaseries to Xbox Game Pass. Its partnership with Microsoft has also been deepening in recent times, as underlined by the fact that the recently announcedPersona 3 ReloadandPersona 5 Tacticawill be day-one Xbox Game Pass releases, which is a first for this long-running JRPG franchise.
Asked about the recent revelation that Microsoft considered buying Sega prior to proposing the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Jacobson said he had no knowledge of that possibility. The Sports Interactive chief explained that he’s “normally” informed about such high-level developments, implying Microsoft never entered any serious acquisition talks with Sega.
Sports Interactive’s willingness to support subscription-based game services doesn’t end withXbox Game Pass; back in late 2022, the UK studio decided to launchFootball Manager 2023 Touchas an Apple Arcade exclusive. Some half a year later, Sony added a time-limited trial ofFootball Manager 2023to the list of its PS Plus Premium perks.
