Sony boss threatens Activision with consequences if studio is indeed bought by Microsoft
There will be a PlayStation 6 at some point. But some studios might find out about it later than others: Sony boss Jim Ryan specifically threatens Activisionthat they won’t be given any info on the PS6 if the Microsoft deal goes through.
For the record, Microsoft is currently trying to buy out Activision. However, the multi-million deal is not without controversy and raises many legal questions. Read more about the background here.
What would it mean if Sony withheld PS6 info from Activision?
Hard statements, but much unclear
“The partnership would be lost”. The quote from Sony boss Ryan comes from a document where large parts of the content are not publicly available. Here you can see an excerpt:
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
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
– Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 21, 2023
It goes on to say that you can’t tell Activision about a PlayStation 6 if the studio is owned by rival Microsoft. Specifically, this could, for example, affect PS-exclusive features such as the adaptive triggers of the DualSense controller – these could be missing in the future in Call of Duty, for example.
When asked why Sony would continue to work with Mojang, even though this studio is also completely owned by Microsoft, Ryan gave an answer – but only the beginning is readable: “This confirms my concerns”. The rest of his statement is blacked out, so we don’t know what arguments he is making.
It is also unclear how serious this threat really is. Microsoft and Sony are currently making plenty of arguments for their own side, some of which are … strange.
How do you see the story around Microsoft, Activision and PlayStation? Do you understand if Sony doesn’t want to unveil its latest console to a studio of the competition or do you think it’s exaggerated? When do you expect a PlayStation 6? Feel free to let us know your personal opinion in the comments below the article.
