Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has accused Sony of “attempting to sabotage” Microsoft’s takeover bid.
Last year, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in a deal that cost around 50 billion pounds ($68 billion). However, the operation was criticized by many regulators and enthusiasts.
More recently, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released its interim findings on the deal and suggested Microsoft pull out. Call of Duty of the merger or risks blocking the entire acquisition.
“The investigation tentatively concluded that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision could lead to higher prices, less choice or less innovation for UK gamers.”
However, Microsoft has repeatedly promised that Call Of Duty will remain cross-platform and claimed that the deal with Activision Blizzard is more about mobile games.
Activision Blizzard’s chief commercial officer also said that Microsoft’s acquisition of the company would only “benefit” gamers and the industry in general.
Discussing the deal with the Financial Times (via VGC), Kotick said “the entire management team at Sony has stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft.”
“I think that’s all Sony is trying to sabotage the deal. The very idea that we’re not going to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft isn’t going to support PlayStation is absurd.”
Sony quickly denied the allegations. “We are in contact with Microsoft and have no further comment on our private negotiations,” he shared in a statement.
Kotick has previously claimed that blocking Microsoft’s takeover would damage the UK’s aim of becoming a tech superpower.
It was also reported that Kotick could remain CEO of Activision Blizzard if the deal falls through.
Following the announcement of the merger last year, it was reported that Kotick would walk away once the deal was done. However, in a new Fox Business report, sources say Kotick will “absolutely stay with the gaming giant to run the business” in the “unlikely event” the merger fails.
A 2021 report alleged that Kotick had been aware of allegations of sexual misconduct within the company dating back to 2018, and that he told his assistant that he would “get her killed” in a voicemail message left behind. in 2006. Kotick reportedly stepped in to prevent Treyarch co-manager Dan Bunting from being fired after being accused of sexual harassment in 2017.
Following the report, Kotick released a statement saying the news “paints an inaccurate and misleading picture of our company, me personally and my executives.”
In other news, Hideo Kojima says he should have rewritten Death Stranding 2 if Elle Fanning turned down the project.