The general director of SIE answered that question in Brussels.
In his words:
“I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block their merger.”
— Lulu Cheng Meservey (@lulumeservey) March 8, 2023
Sony might have revealed his real agenda involving his relentless protest against the Activision Mega Deal. According Lulu Cheng MeserveyActivision Blizzard Executive Vice President, Sony CEO Jim Ryan provided an answer as to why the company continues to reject the 10 year agreement being pushed by Microsoft: I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.
The disclosure came after Sony claimed in its statement to the UK Competition and Markets Authority that Microsoft could introduce bugs into COD, which could negatively affect its business. The franchise has always been Sony’s main concern ever since the proposed merger was announced. It has also consistently been the main point of his arguments to regulators, as shown in his previous statements.
Microsoft addressed the concern by extending the previous 3-year agreement for the franchise to 10 years. Sony, however, remains silent on the offer claim, leading to confusion for many. However, Activision executive Lulu Cheng Meservey clarified the matter and shared that the CEO of SIE himself disclosed that his main point was to stop the merger.
“Microsoft offered Sony (the dominant console leader for over a decade, with 80% market share) a 10-year deal on far better terms than Sony would get from us,” Meservey tweeted. “We have also offered Sony guaranteed long-term access to Call of Duty. But they keep refusing. Because? The general director of SIE answered that question in Brussels. In his words: ‘I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.’”
According to Meservey, Ryan said the words in February 21st during a closed-door hearing with European Union regulators in Brussels. How the disclosure will affect Sony’s argument on the matter is unknown, especially in the eyes of the UK regulator, which continues to highlight Sony’s COD issue as one of the main concerns of the deal.
