PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan met with EU antitrust chief to discuss Microsoft’s Activision deal

Sony games chief Jim Ryan met with EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday to discuss Microsoft’s $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,62,647 crore) bid for the gaming maker. Call of Duty Activision Blizzard, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The meeting came as the EU’s competition watchdog prepares to warn Microsoft this week of the potential anti-competitive effects of acquiring the US software giant and maker Xbox in the world’s biggest deal. game industry in history.

Microsoft is turning to Activision to help it better compete with leaders Tencent and Sony. The latter criticized the agreement and even called for a regulatory veto.

The person declined to provide details of the discussion between Ryan and Vestager. The European Commission, which is due to rule on the deal by April 11, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US Federal Trade Commission has taken legal action to block the deal while UK regulators have also raised concerns, arguing it would give Microsoft’s Xbox exclusive access to Activision games, leaving Nintendo consoles and Sony’s PlayStation in the cold.

A previous report suggested that Microsoft argued the deal would benefit both gamers and game companies, offering to sign a legally binding consent decree with the FTC to supply Call of Duty games to rivals including Sony, for a decade.

FTC administrative law judge Michael Chappell will rule on the deal after hearings scheduled for August 2023.

The deal is currently under scrutiny within the European Union, which must decide by March 23 whether to allow or block the deal.

© Thomson Reuters 2023