In a statement made by Xbox head Phil Spencer during the FTC vs. Microsoft case hearing, it was revealed that Sony takes a 30 percent cut from Microsoft’s products on the PlayStation platform. Spencer also labeled Sony as an “aggressive competitor,” with profits from the revenue cut used to undermine Xbox’s survival on the market.
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Here’s the full statement made by Spencer:
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer testifies in court today that he believes Sony is an “aggressive competitor” that is “blocking Xbox’s survival” with their 3rd party deals
“Every time we ship a game on PlayStation Sony captures 30 percent of that revenue and they use that money to do…
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) June 23, 2023
It seems as though Sony’s actions extend beyond simple revenue cuts, too. Spencer claims that PS5 devkits were sent late to Microsoft, which resulted in an unoptimized version of Minecraft for the PS5.
Spencer asked about a lack of PS5-optimized version of Minecraft. Spencer blames this on Sony withholding PS5 dev kits from Microsoft. FTC argues there’s been time to develop PS5 Minecraft by now and that this Microsoft’s revenge.
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 23, 2023
Spencer went on to reveal that the PS5 edition of Minecraft is simply the PS4 version of the game. When the FTC stated that Microsoft had retaliated by not providing an optimized version for the PS5 throughout its three-year lifespan, Spencer also mentioned that there isn’t an optimized version for the Xbox Series X|S, either.