Bobby Kotick has accused Sony of attempting to “sabotage” the purchase of Activision by Microsoft in a recent interview.
The Activision CEO claims that PlayStation boss Jim Ryan and other Sony executives have “stopped talking” to both Activision and Microsoft. Kotick also went on to say that he thinks “this is all Sony just trying to sabotage the transaction”. This comes days after a CMA report that suggested that Call of Duty could be removed from the deal for it to get the go-ahead.
These comments come from an interview with Financial Times (via VGC), in which Kotick went on to say that the idea that Microsoft and Activision won't support PlayStation is “absurd”. He also said that he is still confident that the acquisition will go ahead; specifically because Microsoft has hired Beth Wilkinson, a lawyer who led the probe into Google for the Federal Trade Commission back in 2012. Kotick told the Financial Times that Wilkinson “feels like if she is going to have to litigate against the FTC, she will absolutely crush them”.
A Sony representative responded to a request for comment by the Financial Times, saying “we are in contact with Microsoft and have no further comment regarding our private negotiations”.
Bobby's world
Okay, so when you break this down, yes, it absolutely is in Sony’s best interest that the Microsoft and Activision deal doesn't happen. Call of Duty is one of – if not the biggest – franchises in gaming, and while the 10-year deal Microsoft is proposing is solid, what happens after those 10 years are up?
Sure, it gives Sony time to build up a competitor of its own; maybe PlayStation could revive Killzone, or bring back Resistance, or maybe even get Korn on board for Haze 2. As funny as a Haze revival would be, there isn’t a franchise that could deal more damage by leaving a platform than Call of Duty – unless someone manages to buy GTA.
That being said, this ain't it. Obviously there are concerns about Microsoft's growing list of acquisitions, especially after it was confirmed that Starfield will be an Xbox exclusive. But I feel like if Activision and Microsoft want this deal to work out, both companies need to convince the various government regulators why this deal is beneficial to the gaming industry.
Instead of publicly making allegations of Sony “trying to sabotage” the deal, which – let's be real – is not a very good look for anyone.
