That Sony is an important player and against the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is something more than proven in any of the three cases that have been opened in the CMA, in the EU commission and, of course, in the FTC. where the supposed demand of these has activated the exchange of information between Microsoft lawyers, the FTC and the judge. And since the FTC has Sony as an ally, Microsoft has wanted to ask the latter for all the necessary information to prove that they are currently the market leaders, leaving Xbox not in a second, but in a third plane, justifying that this purchase is useful. to be competitive again.
It is normal for us to miss some details, but it also strikes us that Microsoft wants Sony to be indirectly one of its main weapons, forcing it to justify its numbers to make the FTC see that PlayStation, and not Xbox, is the market leader. . For that, an information request of some 55 pages in length was launched to Sony. But now Sony claims that this requirement is massive and they need more time to solve it. Something, to which Microsoft refuses unless Sony presents partial information of that requirement. Basically, has complained that this attitude of Microsoft is “obviously harassment”.
Microsoft wants a lot of documents from Sony for the FTC case, and Sony isn’t happy with the 55-page set of demands. “Microsoft’s demand for performance reviews for SIE’s leadership is obvious harassment” ???? pic.twitter.com/lS33kk7P7d
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) February 9, 2023
Microsoft begins to corner all the actors against it
As we can see in the information shared by Tom Warren, the explanation is simpler than all this and we are going to try to make it easier for you: Since Sony has become so involved in preventing the purchase of Activision, Microsoft wants to demonstrate in this “first” case formally open that Sony not only has the leadership and will continue to have it despite the acquisition, but also that it is “specially interested” that it does not occur to continue to be so without problems.
Sony’s reaction to this requirement is as they say “waving your arms in the air.” Complaining that Microsoft has gotten him into this case, now he needs time to give the required information in the way that interests him, something complicated with the margins they have. Microsoft press and now Sony claims to feel harassed by, let’s say it without hot cloths, the defendant himself.