Xbox has been in the spotlight lately when it comes to the exclusivity of its games, whether it be due to the severe lack of them or PlayStation's fear it won't be allowed to play with Call of Duty anymore. Now PlayStation is the one being called out for its exclusive practices, as the Romanian Competition Council (RCC) has accused the platform's parent company of abusing its position.
Shared on ResetEra, the RCC has published a press release (translated into English online) detailing why it believes the way PlayStation markets and sells its exclusives needs to be reigned in. The biggest sticking points are PlayStation selling games exclusively through the PS Store, and not allowing third-party distributors to sell codes.
“The competition authority has indications that Sony may have abused its dominant position in the video game console market both by selling online video games compatible with PlayStation consoles exclusively through the PlayStation Store platform and by prohibiting the sale of game activation codes video compatible with PlayStation consoles by competing distributors,” the RCC's press release reads.
“These practices would have reduced the purchasing options for PlayStation-compatible video games, leading to higher prices for video games for this type of console.” Since the only place to buy certain products is the PlayStation Store, Sony dictates the price and can effectively charge whatever it likes without worrying about its customers looking elsewhere for a better price because, well, there is no elsewhere.
The RCC is serious about this too. The release goes on to inform readers it has already carried out inspections of Sony's HQ in Europe as it attempts to determine whether PlayStation really does have an unfair stranglehold on the industry thanks to its exclusivity practices. Again, while a different situation, somewhat ironic as PlayStation has spent the last year attempting to thwart Xbox's Activision Blizzard merger, largely sticking to the fear Call of Duty will become a console exclusive should that happen.
PlayStation attempting to make people think almost everything out there can only be played on its consoles reared its head again last week. Its Showcase featured more than 30 games, quite a few of which aren't actually exclusive to PS4 and PS5. Xbox wanted to make that abundantly clear as soon as possible, sharing a graphic moments after the showcase ended which included all of the titles featured which will also be coming to its own platforms. As for the RCC's investigation into PlayStation exclusivity, the results could eventually lead to PS5 games, and whatever console comes next, being cheaper and more readily available in the future.