Sony does not view Xbox Game Pass as a rival, according to sources

Sources claim that Sony does not view Xbox Game Pass as a rival.

Despite the company having expressed reservations about Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Insider Gaming sources assert that Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has suggested that the company does not see Xbox Game Pass as competition.

According to a source who asked to remain anonymous because they couldn't publicly discuss their knowledge of the information, Jim Ryan discussed market competition during an employee Q&A earlier this month.

Jim Ryan reportedly responded, "When we consider Game Pass, it seems to be getting lower [Game Pass numbers]," in response to a question about Xbox Game Pass. When we take Game Pass into account—and they've been doing this for 6-7 years—we've sold more PS5s in the past two years than they have in the previous two.

We're just shy of 50 million subscribers, and they're in the low 20s, but there's still work to be done to increase that number, Ryan reportedly continued.

The company is currently fighting Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which Sony claims is "bad for competition, bad for the gaming industry, and bad for gamers themselves," so Ryan's reportedly made comments are a little surprising (via Reuters).

Sony's concerns prompted the UK's Competition Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate the acquisition, while the FTC attempted to stop it.

In response to the concerns, Microsoft offered a 10-year deal to Nintendo, Steam, and Sony to keep Call of Duty on their respective platforms and stated that several popular titles would remain on the PlayStation platform indefinitely.

Microsoft expects the deal to be completed in 2023, but nothing is guaranteed.