It’s been a tense year between two of the main gaming giants, with Sony seeking to end Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard by any means necessary.
Now, according to an executive from the Activision Blizzard side of things—in the middle, for now—the head of Sony Interactive has been very blatant about stopping a deal no matter what deal Microsoft proposes.
In a recent tweet thread, the EVP of Corporate Affairs at Activision, Lulu Cheng Meservey, stated that there’s a reason Sony won’t budge despite both Microsoft and Activision promising long-term access to Call of Duty.
According to Meservey, head of Sony Interactive Jim Ryan recently stated during a closed-door meeting at the EU in Brussels on Feb. 21: “I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.” If true, this is a clear statement that explains why Sony has been so steadfast in denying anything Microsoft proposes.
Meservey went on to suggest that the current deals both companies have offered Sony are better than anything they “have any right offering.”
Whether this is true or not is unclear, but being extended multiple olive branches only to knock them back does not look great for Sony. It seems this has become a mission for Ryan to ensure this acquisition doesn’t go through.
Seeing as Ryan is the head of Sony in America, the higher-ups will likely be angry if there is a major acquisition that upsets the current hold the PlayStation has on the market.
