We’re only a few minutes away FTC v Microsoft hearing, and we’ve already had a great reveal. Sony’s PlayStation chief, Jim Ryan, believed that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard was not about locking down games as an Xbox exclusive, according to a recently unsealed email. Microsoft attorney revealed the exchange between Ryan and a former Sony CEO who discussed the deal announcement last year.
“It’s not an exclusivity game at all,” said Ryan. “They think bigger than that and they have the money to make these kinds of moves. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with (Phil) Spencer Bobby (Kotick) and I’m pretty sure we’ll continue to see each other Duty on PlayStation for years to come.”
The surprise revelation goes against Sony’s arguments against Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal and its filings with regulators. Sony has maintained that it fears Microsoft could make it Duty exclusive to Xbox or even sabotage the PlayStation versions of the game.
Ryan went on to say, ‘We’ve got some good stuff cooking. I’m not complacent, I’d rather this didn’t happen, but it’ll be fine, it’ll be more than fine.”
Microsoft initially offered Duty on PlayStation for three years after the end of the current agreement between Activision and Sony. Ryan called that offering “inadequate in many respects.” Microsoft eventually offered Sony a 10-year contract Duty on PlayStation, but the company has so far refused to sign it.
Duty Competition fears were initially a big part of the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation before the regulator dropped console concerns and ultimately blocked the deal due to competition concerns in the cloud market. The European Commission also dismissed the concerns about this Duty or Xbox-exclusive games, but the FTC’s case is largely focused on the potential harm if Microsoft turns Activision games into Xbox exclusives for console, cloud gaming, and multi-game subscriptions.
