Many of you have probably been following Activision Blizzard’s ongoing Xbox negotiations, with Microsoft still trying to get regulatory approval for its mammoth deal. Not surprisingly, Sony has become one of Microsoft’s biggest obstacles to the deal, and it looks like the PlayStation owner will soon have to start showing more evidence to back up some of its arguments.
Late last month, Microsoft issued a subpoena to Sony, ordering the Japanese company to provide settlement-related documents for an FTC court hearing. This FTC court hearing is continuing into August (although a similar showdown has occurred in the EU), but thanks to a new court order, we know a bit more about what Sony will have to explain before that. a final decision is made.
Of six separate requests made by Sony to limit the information provided to Microsoft and the FTC, four were denied and two were granted. So basically, Sony will have to explain in detail four requests that they wanted to restrict information on, but the PlayStation owner won’t have to explain in detail two requests. I got it? We think so… almost, anyway.
Some of these six requests aren’t particularly relevant to us as viewers and are more related to the audience themselves, but some of them are quite interesting. Sony managed to refrain from providing any “reviews or performance ratings” to its CEO Jim Ryan, while the PlayStation owner also managed to limit Microsoft’s access to information about existing third-party agreements, such as those with Activision on the call. . service franchise.
However, Microsoft is still going to get some information you wanted. Xbox wanted to see and show regulators how Sony has been handling its relationships with third-party developers and publishers since 2012. PlayStation managed to limit that to just three years, and the investigation now only has access to Sony’s third-party information. . party offers from 2019.
A lot of Microsoft’s other gains have to do with the court settlements themselves, and yes, they’re not particularly exciting, to be honest. Don’t hesitate to review the entire judge’s order anyway, especially if you’ve been suffering from insomnia lately…
From what we know and can gather, that US FTC court hearing is still scheduled for August 2, where Microsoft and Sony will face off in an attempt to settle the entire Activision Blizzard deal. For now, we just have more information about what Xbox and PlayStation owners can and will discuss there.
Are you aware of all these ActiBlizz shenanigans? Let us know your thoughts on these finds below!
(source ftc.gov)
Ben is a fan of action, racing, and direct fire in every video game he can get his hands on. When he’s not playing, Ben spends his time listening to too many Guns N’ Roses, watching football, and probably eating somewhere.