Search engine owner denies knowing original Call Of Duty release

Microsoft, the owner of search engine Bing, says it has absolutely no knowledge of when Call Of Duty was released. It’s been a rough time for Microsoft in its bid to acquire Activision Blizzard, which has been met with tons of opposition from not only government regulators but also top competitors like Sony.

The main point of contention has been Call Of Duty. The wildly popular first-person shooter franchise from Activision. The focal point of the arguments thus far have been that Microsoft would have an opportunity to withhold Call Of Duty from competitors. Sony has expressed its concerns in this area before, as has the FTC in its lawsuit. Even though Xbox head Phil Spencer has repeatedly said this wasn’t going to be the case.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard both sent out formal responses to the FTC lawsuit back in late December. Making their own case for why the deal should go through. Some of the finer details are now being highlighted, as reported by The Verge.

Microsoft is trying to play dumb over Call Of Duty

In its response, Microsoft basically stated that it has no knowledge of the game’s original release date. Feigning ignorance about the game’s longstanding history and overwhelming popularity. Sure, Microsoft. That’s a statement the FTC is going to believe. The company’s goal here is simple. Microsoft is downplaying Call Of Duty’s value to gain any leverage it can for its acquisition approval.

Here’s the full statement about this particular detail (via Matt Stoller): “Microsoft avers that it lacks knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth of the allegations concerning industry perceptions of Call of Duty and Call of Duty’s original release date; or as to the truth of the allegations concerning Call of Duty’s launch and typical release schedule and the resources and budget Activision allocates to Call of Duty, including the number of studios that work on Call of Duty.”

Not only are these details that could easily be found via Bing or Google, Call Of Duty’s original release date was nearly two years after Halo. Microsoft’s own insanely popular first-person shooter that may have seen some of its player base leave for Activision’s franchise. And as The Verge points out, these details and more were likely discussed during the initial acquisition talks. Before an agreement was made.

If nothing else, Microsoft’s claim here makes for entertaining banter.