Up until now, Microsoft hasn't been all that forthcoming with the specifics of how its previous generation of consoles — the Xbox One and Xbox One X — performed compared to its direct competitor, the Sony PlayStation 4. It's been common knowledge that the PS4 "won" that particular console generation, of course, but the scale and scope of this "victory" could've been argued up until now.

This, however, has now changed because Microsoft used some reasonably specific figures as part of its argumentation the defend the Activision Blizzard acquisition. The software giant is currently being contested across the world on whether its acquisition of the game publisher constitutes anti-competitive behavior, and the document Microsoft submitted to the Brazilian competition authority, CADE, sheds some light on the situation.

RELATED: Microsoft Comments on Potential Call of Duty Xbox Exclusivity, Says It 'Wouldn't Be Profitable'

While Microsoft has historically been against releasing console sales information, its submission to CADE is using these numbers to argue that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard ought to proceed. Specifically, the document establishes that Sony has moved over twice as many PS4 console units as Microsoft did with the Xbox One. It's worth pointing out that this is the same document where Microsoft claims Sony is paying developers to ignore Xbox Game Pass, all of which combines to paint a more competitive picture than Sony would probably prefer.

playstation 4 console

Naturally, it's hardly a surprise to see Microsoft pushing back against Sony's concerns over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but it's still surprising to see the two companies arguing so vehemently against one another's claims of success. Whereas corporations usually attempt to present everything they do as a success of some sort, this situation sits in stark contrast as each claims that the other is, in fact, generally more successful.

Sony's worries over Microsoft owning Activision Blizzard are hardly unfounded, however. While Microsoft claims Call of Duty isn't unique, the franchise's value in the gaming industry is immense, and that's without taking into account other IPs such as Candy Crush, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and everything else the company currently owns. It's only to be expected that Sony would do everything it can to prevent Microsoft from taking control over such a wide portfolio of intellectual properties.

Not everyone on the Activision Blizzard side of things is thrilled about the acquisition, either. Some Activision shareholders tried to sue Microsoft in a bid to stop the acquisition, though it doesn't seem like much has come of that. If any one entity were to stop Microsoft from completing the deal, it would probably be the various countries the company needs to convince that the acquisition is acceptable. At this time, it's anyone's guess whether the deal ends up passing on all fronts or if it gets halted along the way.

MORE: Why It'll Take Years for PS Plus to Catch Up to Xbox Game Pass

Source: CADE