In an interview with the famous Financial Times newspaper, Bobby Kotick said that Sony was my spokesperson in Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Therefore, the war between Microsoft and Sony will never end. Last week, a Microsoft employee learned that there had been sabotage attempts by Sony. Indeed, according to Frank X. Shaw, Sony reportedly told the European Commission that Microsoft was unable to handle the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, taking Call of Duty as an example.
The accusations were considered false, because as the Microsoft member said: the company was able to handle Minecraft perfectly. The Mojang-developed game has never been banned from release or content offered to gamers, especially on Sony-owned consoles. No disparity could be seen, so I couldn’t understand why Microsoft couldn’t come up with a similar deal for Call of Duty.
At this stage of the “Sony v. Microsoft” case, these were only rumors. franco x shaw, who had nevertheless given the warning signal, was not sure of the words of Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony. However, new information is emerging and it comes from the main speaker on the matter: Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.
I heard that Sony is informing the people of Brussels that Microsoft is not willing to offer them Call of Duty parity if we acquire Activision.
Couldn’t be further from the truth.
1/4
—Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw) January 28, 2023
Activision Blizzard, Sony, Microsoft… Clash of the Titans
In a final interview, Bobby Kotick claimed that Sony tried to sabotage the acquisition. Jim Ryan and his team are said to have even interrupted any conversation with the two parties involved, making discussion impossible. For a moment, radio silence, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard would no longer have anyone on the phone.
Bobby Kotick commented on “Microsoft’s inability to support PlayStation”:
“The idea that we’re not going to support PlayStation or that Microsoft won’t support it is absurd.”
Although these words are brief, he still gives his opinion and confirms the hallway noises heard by Frank X. Shaw. However, despite the sabotage carried out by Sony, Bobby Kotick seems calm with this takeover. He even claims to have hired one of the best lawyers from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to carry out the acquisition. The latter would be able to “crush” them and could demonstrate the potential loss the UK would suffer if it blocked the deal with Microsoft. But before you can claim victory, you still have to go through many stages.
This acquisition is no small feat. Between the publishers’ stumbles, the promises, the speculations, the rumors and the money that this acquisition entails… There will still be many lines to write before the final verdict is given.