The process for Activision Blizzard purchase, on the part of Microsoft, could be about to have a turnaround. As we have been telling you, the FTC has opened a claim periods, parallel to the CMA. And Microsoft has already presented its own, throwing all possible darts at Sony. According to the brief filed by Microsoft, Sony has not only maintained its position of hiding documentation, so much so that it has even suggested handing it over only to competition regulators, but also lied about the duration of the agreement for Call of Duty offered by Microsoft. .
In addition, Microsoft has confirmed what many suspected: in some Sony agreements with third-parties, the company itself included, as a condition, vetoing the games that are the subject of the agreements in Xbox Game Pass. This would be especially controversial in the house of SIE if it were discovered that these measures were also applied with Call of Duty, because it would dismantle Sony’s argument about the reduction of competition that the purchase of Activision Blizzard would entail.
Withholding information could be expensive for Sony, because competition regulators would be wary of its arguments.
Sony risks losing to Microsoft for its obscurantism and document hiding:
And this whole situation could be very expensive for Sony. According to the economic analyst Florian Mueller, Sony risks losing to Microsoft for withholding information, because some regulators might approve the purchase if they found out that Sony hasn’t been constructive or willing to work toward a licensing deal for Call of Duty. In fact, it is more than likely that this is the current situation, because Mueller himself has commented that Sony has begun to give certain information to both competition agencies and Microsoft.
“New information suggests that Sony has begun providing data to the FTC and Microsoft. Although there is still no agreement with the FTC regarding certain required documentation, which will be negotiated until March 1.
Therefore, it is possible that the positions between Sony and Microsoft have begun to get closer. However, we are still in the argument phases and none of the agencies has approved the purchase agreement. So nothing is decided yet.
