In a surprising turn of events, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, has accused Sony of attempting to sabotage Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This comes after Kotick’s recent complaints about Sony’s refusal to engage in business discussions with him.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recently released a provisional report which raised concerns about the deal, stating that it posed a significant threat to competition and recommended major changes to its structure.
Despite facing opposition from regulatory bodies in both the US and UK, Kotick remains steadfast in his criticism of what he sees as misinformed and biased regulatory action, as well as petty interference from competitors.
Kotick has been vocal in his belief that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and UK CMA do not have a comprehensive understanding of the gaming industry and warned that the UK would become a “Death Valley” if the acquisition were to be blocked.
After publicly calling out Sony for ignoring his attempts to discuss business, Kotick has now accused the company of actively trying to sabotage the deal.
Suddenly, Sony’s entire leadership team stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft.
I think this is all Sony just trying to sabotage the transaction.
The whole idea that we are not going to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft would not support the PlayStation, it is absurd.
Bobby Kotick
When asked for a response, Sony stated that they are in communication with Microsoft and declined to provide any additional comments regarding their private negotiations.
Recently, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released preliminary results from its examination of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
The regulator’s findings revealed that the deal could potentially lead to two significant reductions in competition within the console hardware and cloud gaming industries.
Although the CMA is open to finding solutions that guarantee fair access to Call of Duty across other platforms, they have advised that the franchise or significant portions of the Activision Blizzard business be sold in order for the deal to proceed.
