Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has accused Sony of “trying to sabotage” Microsoft's attempted acquisition bid.
Last year, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard inside a deal that cost approximately lb50billion ($68billion USD). However, the move has faced ongoing criticism from numerous regulatory bodies and fans.
Most recently, the UK's Competition And Markets Authority (CMA) has shared its provisional findings in to the deal and suggested Microsoft remove Call Of Duty from the merger or risk having the entire acquisition blocked.
The “investigation has provisionally concluded that Microsoft's proposed purchase of Activision could cause higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers.”.
On several occasions though, Microsoft has promised to help keep Call Of Duty cross-platform and claimed that the Activision Blizzard deal is much more about mobile gaming.
Activision Blizzard's chief commercial officer has also said that the business's acquisition by Microsoft is only going to “benefit” gamers and the wider industry.
Discussing the deal with the Financial Times (via VGC), Kotick claimed that “Sony's entire leadership team stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft,”
“I think this is all Sony just attempting to sabotage the transaction. The entire concept that we are not likely to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft would not offer the PlayStation, it's absurd.”
Sony quickly denied the claims. “We have been in connection with Microsoft and also have no further comment regarding our private negotiations,” it shared in a statement.
Previously, Kotick claimed that blocking Microsoft's acquisition would harm britain's aim of becoming a technology superpower.
It's also been reported that Kotick could stay on as Activision Blizzard CEO when the deal falls through.
Following the announcement of the merger last year, it was reported that Kotick would stand aside once the deal closed. In a brand new report by Fox Business, sources claim Kotick “will absolutely stay at the gaming giant to run the company” within the “unlikely event” the merger fails.
A 2023 report alleged that Kotick had been conscious of sexual misconduct claims within the company since 2023 and the man reportedly told his assistant that he would “have her killed” in a voicemail left in 2006. It is also reported that Kotick intervened to avoid Treyarch co-head Dan Bunting from being fired, after he was charged with sexual harassment in 2023.
Following the report, Kotick released a statement having said that this news “paints an inaccurate and misleading view of our organization, of me personally, and my leadership”.
In other news, Hideo Kojima says he would've needed to rewrite Death Stranding 2 if Elle Fanning turned down the work.
