Console war debates are bad enough when it's just between brand loyalists online. Now, lord have mercy on our souls, we might have retailers getting involved.A store in France has seemingly been spotted putting up signs warning customers against purchasing a PlayStation 5. The notice warns that would-be players should, "Choose your machine carefully", noting that Activision is the studio behind the Call of Duty series.
"Notice to gamers, Microsoft has bought Activision! Choose your machine carefully", the sign reads in full, with "Call of Duty" written in brackets at the bottom - likely for the parents purchasing for kids who are unaware of what this means.
The picture was shared by Twitter user @HazzadorGamin (thanks, VGC), but it's unknown if it's authentic. Some highlight that this may be to avoid dealing with troublesome refund requests if a big release doesn't make it to PS5 - and anyone who has worked in retail could tell you that this isn't an unlikely scenario. Others say that the sign is actually in Belgian stores, as the supermarket chain, Cora, also has locations there.
But of course, PlayStation fans are hitting back. They say the image is photoshopped, citing the slight blur around the text. The blur is visible in other areas of the image, so it could just be compression. But given the state of the console wars, it's not unlikely that an "Xbot" (or whatever the Sony Ponies call them now) faked the whole thing.
I went to see if this was true on the supermarket's online storefront, but searching for a PS5 gave me Whiskey results instead. I guess the hardware shortage is just that dire.
So, just how worried should PS5 players be? Call of Duty exclusivity probably won't be a thing for a while, as Microsoft has already stated it will honour all existing agreements between Activision and Sony. But beyond that, it's unlikely to last. You don't spend $70 billion just to share.