Activision Blizzard exec claims that Sony CEO “just wants to block” Microsoft merger

techradar.com:

An Activision Blizzard executive claims that the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment is committed to blocking the former’s merger with Microsoft, potentially at the expense of PlayStation’s access to Call of Duty. 

Microsoft is currently trying to acquire Activision Blizzard, though it claims it doesn’t plan on making the games exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S. To guarantee this and appeal to the UK government’s Competition and Markets Authority, the body that approves company mergers that may create unfair monopolies, Microsoft reportedly offered Sony a ten-year agreement to ensure Call of Duty would continue to release on Playstation consoles.

However, according to an Activision executive(opens in new tab), head of Playstation Jim Ryan refused this offer saying, “I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.”

Microsoft’s ongoing attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard is on hold, following a lawsuit undertaken by the Federal Trade Commission of the United States. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) exists to enforce antitrust laws which seek to prevent the formation of monopolies. The FTC filed the suit on the grounds that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard “would enable Microsoft to suppress competitors to its Xbox gaming consoles.” 

The FTC isn’t alone in its scrutiny of the acquisition. The UK government’s own Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally found that, since the acquisition would make it “commercially beneficial [for Microsoft] to make [Call of Duty] exclusive to Xbox… [the merger] would substantially reduce competition in gaming consoles to the detriment of gamers.”

With these assessments firmly in the public eye, it seems obvious why SIE would be