Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been confusing global officials for over a year. What’s even more confusing is a reference to PlayStation’s Superman in a case underway in the U.K.
The legal team representing Microsoft referenced a PlayStation Superman game in a document responding to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) provisional findings regarding concerns the company’s nearly $70 billion acquisition of the publisher may render Activision Blizzard games exclusive to Xbox should the merger go through… but that reference was most likely a typo.
In Section 2.20, where it discusses the impact the merger will have on PlayStation exclusive titles on Xbox console sales, it wrote, “This applies for ‘big titles’ like God of War and Superman. There has never been evidence that exclusivity of one single franchise can drive console sales.”
The problem is a Superman game hasn’t been made for the PS5 or PS4. In fact, the last time a Superman game was made for a PlayStation console was Superman Returns, the video game adaptation of the 2006 movie of the same name starring Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel, for PS2.
The superhero game Microsoft’s attorneys probably meant to write in that section is Marvel’s Spider-Man, as it was mentioned three times throughout the document. Insomniac Games made that game and Spider-Man: Miles Morales exclusively for PS4 and PS5. Although, both games aren’t necessarily PlayStation-exclusive titles anymore since they got ported over to PC last fall, especially the remastered version of the former.
If you tried looking for a Superman game on the PlayStation Store because of the typo, you’re out of luck. But don’t worry, you’ll get to see him in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which reportedly got delayed to later this year because of the backlash directed at the gameplay shown off during Sony’s recent State of Play live stream. The game also generated controversy over Rocksteady Games making it online-only, even in single player mode.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
