Microsoft has once again stated that creating and developing its own Xbox exclusives is more expensive than those for PlayStation. The company justified its claim by citing the difference in the fan bases of the two devices, as it believes that the larger the audience, the easier it is to manufacture and develop exclusives.

Microsoft has made this argument for the cost difference in developing exclusives between Xbox and PlayStation in another lawsuit ahead of its legal battle with the FTC, which is set to begin today. The FTC is seeking an injunction to prevent Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard until the merger investigation is complete.

Microsoft says that the larger a console's user base, the easier it is for the manufacturer to secure third-party exclusives. The company's statement further notes that even first-party exclusives don't cost Sony as much as Microsoft. It added:

"The larger the user base of potential buyers of the platform compared to its competitors, the smaller the market segment needs to be 'buyed out' (internal or external) to acquire an exclusive game. Exclusives are much more expensive on Xbox than on Sony."

Microsoft also says that the ratio of PlayStation exclusives to Xbox exclusives is 8 to 1. That is, for every 8 exclusives in the Sony-owned market, there is only one Microsoft exclusive, and that is a large number.

Finally, Microsoft proposes that Sony acquire game publishers the size of Activision. So, Microsoft says it doesn't care about this issue, but that it encourages the unification policy.

This agreement is still exciting and reveals details we didn't expect to see public. So stay tuned for more coverage.