Sony scolds CMA for not opposing Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard and Microsoft merger
Tech and entertainment giant Sony has criticized competition authorities for failing to oppose the £55bn merger between Microsoft and Call Of Duty maker Activision Blizzard.
Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company’s gaming arm, said the decision by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was “surprising, unprecedented and irrational.”
It said last month’s CMA statement that it no longer believed the merger posed a risk of a “substantial reduction in competition” in the UK console gaming market contained “serious” errors, including an underestimation of how much Microsoft would can win by blocking access to Call Of Duty for Sony PlayStations.
Sony said the Competition and Markets Authority is underestimating how much Microsoft could gain by blocking access to Call Of Duty for Sony PlayStations
“To make a robust decision, the CMA should revisit its analysis of Microsoft’s incentives,” Sony said.
The independent CMA panel said the cost to Microsoft of blocking access to Call Of Duty “outweighs any gain.”
To allay concerns from regulators in the US and here, Microsoft has made deals with companies including Nintendo and Nvidia to enable access to Call of Duty.
But Sony refuses to budge.