the endless Microsoft’s purchase of Activision continues to give us moments of more drama with each passing day. And now it seems that Activision is already getting tired of the situation, to such an extent that one of its executive vice presidents has shared on Twitter what until now was an open secret. What happened in the private meeting that the giants held in Brussels?
Sony’s obsession with Activision
At Sony they are seriously affected by the imminent purchase, and from the outset they have declared themselves enemy number 1 of the operation, to the point of making statements against it over and over again. The last thing that has been known is that the company explained to the CMA that its main concern is that Microsoft would take care of deliver buggy versions and not perfectly finished of future Call of Duty, something that would force users to go to the Xbox platform in search of a version that works perfectly.
Sony suggests to the CMA that Microsoft could release a buggy version of Call of Duty on PlayStation which could make gamers lose confidence “in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty.” Seriously… 🙃 pic.twitter.com/6y0vnQh7rm
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 8, 2023
This, as you may be thinking, sounds tremendously conspiratorial, and it only reflects how tremendously worried they are about the possible purchase. A company that, let us remember, has had an 80% market share for more than 10 years. Do they really depend so much on Activision?
I just want to block your merger
Such is the level of tension that currently exists in the case, that the executive vice president of corporate affairs and director of communications, Lulu Cheng, has published on Twitter some statements that the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment himself, Jim Ryan, made at the meeting that the companies maintained in Brussels.
The CEO of SIE answered that question in Brussels.
In his words:
«I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.”
— Lulu Cheng Meservey (@lulumeservey) March 8, 2023
Apparently, the manager referred to Activision assuring that didn’t want any kind of new deal with Call of Dutybut rather what I wanted was lock merge. These words responded to the defense of Microsoft and Activision with which they ensure that Call of Duty will continue to exist on PlayStation and that they also promise to reactivate a new 10-year commitment plan.
More afraid of others winning than losing
The situation is quite clear, and it is something that was seen since the operation came to light. At Sony they are not worried about losing Call of Duty or what they are going to receive a worse Call of Duty. The only thing they fear is the growth that Microsoft will achieve with this purchase. Because everyone knows that Call of Duty can be called something else tomorrow, and if they signed an agreement to continue releasing Call of Duty on PlayStation, nobody says that it cannot be fulfilled, but probably the new and successful product will be called differently and It is only available on Xbox.
In addition, Activision is much more than Call of Duty, and the way in which Microsoft manages its studies has shown that very interesting products can be produced with little care. It is something that Sony has been demonstrating for many years with games like God of War, Uncharted, The Last of Us and many more, so if Microsoft does the same, gamers win, but Sony may very well lose. And a lot.
Fountain: The Verge
