In what appears to be retaliation for Sony trying to block the Activision Blizzard merger, Microsoft has reportedly been complaining about the alleged PlayStation monopoly in the video games market, particularly Japan, to U.S. lawmakers.
Members of Congress ask Japan to take action against PlayStation monopoly
We previously reported that Congresswoman Maria Cantwell from Microsoft’s homebase in Washington urged U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to take up the issue of Sony having a “98 percent monopoly of the high-end games market” in Japan.
According to Axios, a total of 11 members of Congress – both Democrat and Republican but mainly from Microsoft’s home state – have now penned a letter accusing Sony of discriminatory trade practices and have asked the Japanese government to intervene. They complain that Sony is keeping popular Japanese games, like Final Fantasy, off of Xbox consoles.
Microsoft has welcomed the investigation, of course, but stopped short of confirming that it has been lobbying. However, Axios understands that the company has been pushing lawmakers.
“The Japanese government’s effective policy of non-prosecution when it comes to Sony appears to be a serious barrier to U.S. exports, with real impacts for Microsoft and the many U.S. game developers and publishers that sell globally but see their earnings in Japan depressed by these practices,” reads part of the letter from lawmakers to the Biden administration.
Interestingly, earlier today, Japan approved Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
