Bobby Kotick: Sony's Opposition to Activision Sale Won't Harm Relationship
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick reassured that Sony's attempts to block the company's sale to Microsoft won't harm Activision's partnership with the platform holder.
The CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, has stated that Sony's efforts to prevent the company's $68.7 billion sale will not adversely affect its business relationship with the platform provider.
In an email to employees, which is also published on Activision Blizzard's website, Kotick provided an update on the company's buyout, calling Sony's recent actions "disappointing."
In his message, Kotick referred to Sony's recent allegation that Microsoft could intentionally release faulty versions of Call of Duty games on PlayStation consoles if it acquires Activision, as well as the statement made by PlayStation chief Jim Ryan that Sony's only objective is to block the merger, not secure a Call of Duty deal.
"You may have seen statements from Sony, including an argument that if this deal goes through, Microsoft could release deliberately 'buggy' versions of our games on PlayStation. [...] Sony has even admitted that they aren’t actually concerned about a Call of Duty agreement – they would just like to prevent our merger from happening," Kotick wrote.
"This is obviously disappointing behavior from a partner for almost thirty years, but we will not allow Sony’s behavior to affect our long-term relationship. PlayStation players know we will continue to deliver the best games possible on Sony platforms as we have since the launch of PlayStation."
Apart from that, Kotick's email stated that significant obstacles for the completion of the acquisition have been overcome.
In relation to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, there have been recent developments in the deal's approval process. Specifically, Japan's Fair Trade Commission has given its approval to the merger.
Additionally, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority announced last week that it no longer anticipates any negative impact on competition in the console market resulting from the merger.
Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
