Microsoft faced fierce opposition in its bid to merge with Activision Blizzard King. It wasn’t just regulators that had concerns. Sony was one of the deal’s most.
In a nutshell: The acquisition of Activision Blizzard King could set Microsoft up to outpace Sony in the console market. Sony perceives this merger as a significant threat to its console and subscription sectors as it grapples with creating the ideal game subscription.
Microsoft faced fierce opposition in its bid to merge with Activision Blizzard King. It wasn’t just regulators that had concerns. Sony was one of the deal’s most vocal opponents. It was so boisterous with its protest that Microsoft had to promise to make Call of Duty available on PlayStation for the next 10 years.
Redmond’s 10-year concession satisfied all regulators except the FTC. However, documents leaked from the Insomniac hack reveal that Sony is still deeply concerned. The PlayStation maker sees the acquisition as a formidable threat that could allow Microsoft to “leapfrog” Sony in the console market.
“Microsoft’s acquisition of [Activision] positions it to leapfrog our current pillars,” says a “confidential” presentation slide.
