In what seems to be retaliation for Sony attempting to dam the Activision Blizzard merger, Microsoft has reportedly been complaining concerning the alleged PlayStation monopoly within the video video games market, significantly Japan, to U.S. lawmakers.
Members of Congress ask Japan to take motion towards PlayStation monopoly
We previously reported that Congresswoman Maria Cantwell from Microsoft’s homebase in Washington urged U.S. Commerce Consultant Katherine Tai to take up the difficulty of Sony having a “98 % monopoly of the high-end video games market” in Japan.
Based on Axios, a complete of 11 members of Congress – each Democrat and Republican however primarily from Microsoft’s house state – have now penned a letter accusing Sony of discriminatory commerce practices and have requested the Japanese authorities to intervene. They complain that Sony is preserving well-liked Japanese video games, like Final Fantasy, off of Xbox consoles.
Microsoft has welcomed the investigation, in fact, however stopped wanting confirming that it has been lobbying. Nonetheless, Axios understands that the corporate has been pushing lawmakers.
“The Japanese authorities’s efficient coverage of non-prosecution on the subject of Sony seems to be a critical barrier to U.S. exports, with actual impacts for Microsoft and the various U.S. recreation builders and publishers that promote globally however see their earnings in Japan depressed by these practices,” reads a part of the letter from lawmakers to the Biden administration.
Curiously, earlier at this time, Japan accredited Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
