Edited by: Sharya Sharma
Last updated: January 28, 2023, 10:22 AM IST
Xbox chief Phil Spencer claims Activision Blizzard’s acquisition is going smoothly despite initial setbacks. (Image: Reuters)
Microsoft has reportedly accused rival Sony of lying to EU regulators after Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan met with EU regulators.
Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has faced a number of challenges, from legal action by the FTC to opposition from other technology companies such as Nvidia and Google. The European Union (EU) has also reportedly issued an antitrust warning regarding the deal.
Now the Redmon-based tech giant has reportedly accused rival Sony of lying to EU regulators after Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan met with EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday to discuss the acquisition of Microsoft, according to a report. report by Reuters.
Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft’s head of corporate communications, claims he heard Sony “inform people in Brussels and claim that Microsoft is not willing to give them parity for Call of Duty” if Microsoft acquires Activision.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he added.
I hear Sony is informing people in Brussels that Microsoft is not willing to give them parity for Call of Duty if we acquire Activision. Nothing is less true.
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— Frank X. Shaw (@fxshaw) January 28, 2023
In December 2022, reports emerged that Microsoft had proposed to Sony a 10-year contract whereby each new release of the hit video game franchise Call of Duty would be available on PlayStation on the same day it launched on Xbox.
“We made it clear that we offered Sony a 10-year deal to give them parity in terms of timing, content, features, quality, playability and every other aspect of the game,” Microsoft’s Frank Shaw reiterated on Twitter, and that the company is open to using contracts, regulatory agreements or other means to achieve this.
Microsoft also notes that Sony is indeed the market leader when it comes to gaming, and that it would “defy business logic for us” to exclude PlayStation as a platform for future Call of Duty releases.
“Our goal is to bring Call of Duty and other games – like we did with Minecraft – to more people around the world so they can play them where and how they want,” Shaw said in closing.
According to Xbox chief Phil Spencer, the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is progressing smoothly despite initial setbacks. In an interview with IGN, Spencer stated that due to greater understanding and cooperation with regulators, he is now more confident in the success of the deal than he was a year ago.
“A year ago, for me, I knew nothing about the process of such an acquisition. The fact that I have more insight, more knowledge of what it means to work with the different regulatory agencies I’m more confident now than I was a year ago just based on the information that I have and the discussions that we’ve had with …So my confidence remains high,” Spencer said during the interview with IGN.
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