Stuart wrote:KK wrote:I presume Microsoft and Sony could go nuclear if they really wanted to and refuse Activision the right to publish on their systems until they get their gooseberry fool together. I mean they’ve done it before for far less, but never for such high profile titles like COD.
I hope they're not tempted to act as a moral arbiter, like the Twitter mob. If consumers individually decide they disapprove of Activision and choose not to buy their games, that's fine. But if they decide to ban Activision for accusations of harassment, then you could do the same for Ubisoft, then ban Warhorse Studios for being politically incorrect, then ban Rockstar & countless others for cruel levels of crunch. Then we're left with a few indie games on the platform, because all the AAA titles are disqualified.
I'd counter by pointing out that Sony already act as a moral arbiter in not allowing games with certain content to be published on playstation -
here's an example. If Sony don't want to be associated with that kind of gaming content, is it surprising they would be against actual real-life abuse? That certainly seems worse to me!
Twitter thrives on outrage of course, but I think it's playing down the story to frame this as a "Twitter mob". Employees and shareholders are calling for Bobby Kotick's resignation and some staff are staging walkouts. This is serious investigative journalism by the Wall Street Journal and the story is being picked up on and followed by plenty of other serious news outlets, not just the gaming press. These are serious incidents and allegations! It's far from just some Twitter drama.
In saying if Sony ban Activision games that could lead to many others being banned, you are sort of saying "where will it stop?" to something that hasn't even happened yet for the most extreme example. I don't think you need to worry about Sony sliding down an imagined slippery slope of moral arbitration quite yet!
I don't want you to feel like you're being piled on by the way, I'm replying because I disagree with you and this is a discussion forum! I personally would welcome Sony taking a hard line against Activision and putting pressure on them as a publisher, as I think relying on people making informed and morally motivated purchasing decisions isn't a good or effective way of enacting positive change in the world. It doesn't happen for a variety of reasons.