Activision exec says Sony boss wants to sabotage merger & doesn’t care about CoD
Activision Blizzard, PlayStationAn Activision Blizzard executive claims Sony boss Jim Ryan has admitted to wanting to sabotage the pending Microsoft merger.
The back and forth regarding Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been going on for several months now.
At the center of it all sits the multibillion-dollar Call of Duty brand, which Sony argues could be used by Microsoft to skew market competition in Xbox’s favor.
While Microsoft attempts to convince fair trade agencies and Sony that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation platforms, it doesn’t seem as if Sony’s interested in negotiating a deal. One Activision executive recently claimed to know why.
Activision says Sony boss wants to sabotage Microsoft merger
Activision’s CCO and EVP of Corporate Affairs, Lulu Cheng Meservey, alleges that Sony’s refusal to ink a deal with Microsoft stems from a desire to obstruct the proposed acquisition.
Reportedly, PlayStation President and CEO Jim Ryan admitted as much during a hearing in Brussels on February 21. Meservey claims Ryan said the following at the hearing, “I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.”
There’s no definitive proof as of yet that can attribute the above quote to Jim Ryan. But given Ryan’s past comments about backwards compatibility, many are convinced the “merger” quote may hold some legitimacy.
Lulu Cheng Meservey’s claim comes amid news that Sony fears Microsoft may release glitch-filled versions of Call of Duty on PlayStation hardware.
Notably, such concerns were relayed to Europe’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Following a delay, the competition regulator will deliver its decision on the acquisition on April 25.
