Sony 'Lost Control' in Opposing Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Deal, Attorney Says

gamerant.com:

Sony has «lost control» over the narrative concerning Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, according to a long-time patent attorney and antitrust expert. This perspective on the ongoing drama surrounding the $69 billion takeover attempt arrives shortly after Microsoft offered a compromise to the EU over the deal, with multiple sources reporting its concession package—that has yet to go public—does not mention Sony.

Over the course of the last 12 months, Sony has been raising objections to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition with various regulators all over the world. Despite the PlayStation owner's efforts to oppose the consolidation, which also includes Candy Crush maker King, Microsoft still appears confident the transaction will go through.

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Veteran patent attorney and competition-focused analyst Florian Mueller shares that sentiment, having recently claimed Sony missed multiple chances to offer «constructive solutions» in favor of ferocious opposition that has now made it lose control over the narrative surrounding the deal. Mueller, who currently counts Microsoft among his clients and worked as a Blizzard consultant in the past, tells Game Rant he is unaware of «any other case in which a complainant's obstructive attitude was spelled out so clearly» as it is here. «Regulators don't like that,» he posits.

Asked for examples of what Sony could have done differently to influence the long-term outcome of the Activision Blizzard takeover, Mueller points to a recent revelation that a Sony exec was throwing shade at the Call of Duty deal on the day of Microsoft's February 21 EU merger hearing.