Activision boss Bobby Kotick accuses Sony of trying to “sabotage” Microsoft’s acquisition bid

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has accused Sony of “trying to sabotage” Microsoft’s attempted acquisition bid.

Last year, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in a deal that cost approximately £50billion ($68billion USD). However, the move has faced ongoing criticism from numerous regulatory bodies and fans.

Most recently, the UK’s Competition And Markets Authority (CMA) has shared its provisional findings into the deal and suggested Microsoft remove Call Of Duty from the merger or risk having the entire acquisition blocked.

The “investigation has provisionally concluded that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers.”.

On several occasions though, Microsoft has promised to keep Call Of Duty cross-platform and claimed that the Activision Blizzard deal is more about mobile gaming.

Activision Blizzard’s chief commercial officer has also said that the company’s acquisition by Microsoft will only “benefit” gamers and the wider industry.

Discussing the deal with the Financial Times (via VGC), Kotick claimed that “Sony’s entire leadership team stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft,”

“I think this is all Sony just trying to sabotage the transaction. The whole idea that we are not going to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft would not support the PlayStation, it is absurd.”

Sony quickly denied the claims. “We are in contact with Microsoft and have no further comment regarding our private negotiations,” it shared in a statement.

Previously, Kotick claimed that blocking Microsoft’s acquisition would harm the UK’s aim of becoming a technology superpower.

It’s also been reported that Kotick could stay on as Activision Blizzard CEO if the deal falls through.

Following the announcement of the merger last year, it was reported that Kotick would stand aside once the deal closed. However in a new report by Fox Business, sources claim Kotick “will absolutely remain at the gaming giant to run the company” in the “unlikely event” the merger fails.

A 2021 report alleged that Kotick had been aware of sexual misconduct claims within the company since 2018 and that he reportedly told his assistant that he would “have her killed” in a voicemail left in 2006. It’s also reported that Kotick intervened to prevent Treyarch co-head Dan Bunting from being fired, after he was accused of sexual harassment in 2017.

Following the report, Kotick released a statement that said the news “paints an inaccurate and misleading view of our company, of me personally, and my leadership”.

In other news, Hideo Kojima says he would’ve had to rewrite Death Stranding 2 if Elle Fanning turned down the project.