Bobby Kotick says Sony's being a baby about Microsoft deal: 'They would just like to prevent our merger from happening'

pcgamer.com:

Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard now looks very likely to go ahead, following last week's news that the UK's regulator has (provisionally) bought most of the assurances it's been given(opens in new tab). A specific concern allayed was over Call of Duty, the mega-popular series which Microsoft has spent the last several months offering deals on to any- and all-comers, with Sony's pleas becoming increasingly desperate: To the extent that, around three weeks ago, it suggested Microsoft might sabotage COD on PlayStation(opens in new tab).

Sony is beginning to sound like a bit of a whiner here, and Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has had enough. In an email sent to staff earlier this week with the subject line «A March update on the Microsoft deal,» Kotick addresses the deal's progress generally, before going in on Sony with both feet. 

Kotick says Activision Blizzard and Microsoft have been doing the rounds in Brussels and London, and during various hearings «Microsoft proposed thoughtful, generous remedies to address regulators’ concerns,» including the new COD contract with Nintendo, and deals with Nvidia, Boosteroid and Ubitus. He also alludes to one of the arguments Microsoft has clearly been making behind closed doors, which is that Chinese companies like Tencent and to a lesser extent NetEase are now operating at a previously unimaginable scale globally. 

«Our proposed merger will help us compete in the increasingly competitive marketplace that includes rapidly growing foreign, powerful companies that enjoy protection in their home markets and access to strong talent pools,» said Kotick. «The partnership with Microsoft will enable us to more effectively compete against these