Disputes between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission have brought to light confidential Sony materials. Court documents request data related to the sales of Call of Duty and the development of exclusive Sony products.
It is noted that the information entered the network accidentally. Sony representatives attempted to obscure numbers with a black marker, but digital scans reveal many of the edits.
According to the documents, Horizon Forbidden West began development in 2017 with a reported budget of 212 million dollars and a project team of about 300 people. The Last of Us Part II is cited with a budget near 220 million and a staffing level around 200 employees.
The records also discuss Call of Duty sales. In 2021, US shooter revenues reached about 800 million dollars. Overall sales were roughly 1.5 billion dollars, with Sony expected to receive around 10 percent of that amount.
By 2021, approximately one million PlayStation users reportedly played Call of Duty alone. About 14 million players spent roughly 30 percent of their total gaming time in the shooter, while more than 6 million users allocated over 70 percent of their time to the title. The average player logged around 296 hours in the franchise.
Earlier remarks attributed to Bobby Kotick touched on a new Nintendo console. It was also noted that Microsoft expressed interest in acquiring Square Enix. A QR code linked to augmented reality work became a focal point in one publicized moment.
Source attributions are noted in contemporary press discussions surrounding these disclosures.