Why Xbox Gamers Are Vehemently Against Sony Buying FromSoftware

The console war used to be hyper focused on technical specifications, such as the 64-bit Nintendo 64 (N64) versus its 32-bit rivals like Sony's first PlayStation. In 2024, the real battle comes down to which platform can control the highest quality intellectual property games. It's simple; these games have large player bases that generate tons of revenue for the console makers. 

That said, Xbox gamers are not too happy about the idea of Sony purchasing FromSoftware, a significant maker of some of the best games recently. Its flagship title, Elden Ring, has won countless game awards and is considered by many as one of the best games ever made. Kodokawa Corporation, which is the parent company of FromSoftware, recently confirmed that Sony sent a letter of intent (PDF) to acquire the company. 

This letter resulted in a string of complaints on Reddit from Xbox gamers, which they feel would potentially see Sony control the popular FromSoftware games exclusively on the PlayStation platform. 

"Yeah we’re going to get f**ked from all FS future entries if this happens," one use wrote. Another one stated, "This is about the only thing that would actually bother me acquisition wise."

Microsoft has made its own massive acquisitions, most notably Activision-Blizzard, which was highly controversial. The game franchises within that merger are some of the best selling and most popular in history. They include the Call of Duty Franchise, World of Warcraft, and Diablo amongst others. 

After much complaint from Sony, both in public and legally, they reached a deal where popular games like from Call of Duty would continue to appear on PlayStation. It makes sense for these console makers to want to control the highest grossing games, as is the case with Diablo IV and its high micro-transaction revenue. 

Microsoft has been struggling with the hardware console battle, with its Xbox sales much less than the PlayStation 5. It has instead focused on acquiring these game studios, together with its Game Pass service that it feels can be platform agnostic. With Sony releasing several of its highly-acclaimed PlayStation exclusive titles on the PC, hope is there that this can be good news for gamers on every platform if they acquire FromSoftware.