Now that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is on the line before the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) details that have remained secret for months are coming to light, revealing the positions and arguments of the companies involved. It seems that we are currently in a back-and-forth game, as the controversy keeps going back and forth, and this time it's Jim Ryan's turn again.
Jim Ryan warns that he won't provide information about PS6 to Activision if Microsoft acquires them
Axios journalist Stephen Totilo shared information from an FTC document that compiles a series of statements made by Jim Ryan, President of PlayStation, to the US regulator. In this case, it is a confidential document dated April 6, 2023, in which Jim Ryan states that Sony Interactive Entertainment will not provide privileged information about their upcoming console to Activision Blizzard if Microsoft's acquisition is finalized.
In an FTC v MS/ABK deposition, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that, if deal closes, Sony couldn't tell Activision about its next console
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 21, 2023
Is then asked about Sony working with Mojang (Minecraft) after MS bought them. Discussion is redacted but Ryan says it supports this concern pic.twitter.com/M86CBm3CcY
According to Jim Ryan, Sony cannot share privileged information with a company controlled by Microsoft, as it would negatively affect the development process and gaming experience of titles that Activision Blizzard has planned for the successor to the PS5, such as Call of Duty. Based on this idea, the executive states that it would lead to a chain of events resulting in lower quality games from Activision for PlayStation console users.
It's worth mentioning that prior to Microsoft's acquisition announcement, PlayStation and Activision had an excellent business relationship, as Sony provided preferential treatment to the North American company due to the enormous profits generated by Call of Duty. During the regulatory review process, it came to light that PlayStation had a preferential agreement with Activision regarding revenue sharing, which under normal conditions with other publishers is 70/30. That's why PlayStation considered Activision as a strategic partner and provided privileged information to benefit the development processes. According to Jim Ryan, this will be lost once the Microsoft acquisition is approved.
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