PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan 'Flew To Brussels' To Voice Concerns To EU Over Xbox's Activision Deal

PlayStation boss Jim Ryan reportedly flew to Brussels last month to meet with European Union regulators currently scrutinizing Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The visit was first reported by Dealreporter sources (paywalled). Video Game Chronicle reports: As has been widely publicized in recent weeks, PlayStation's concerns over the deal are around the future release arrangements for the Call of Duty series -- which is regularly PlayStation's annual best-seller -- and whether it will be pulled from their platforms. Google is also said to have voiced its concerns to EU regulators, according to the same sources.

Last month, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft had committed to making Call of Duty available on PlayStation for "several more years" after Sony's current marketing deal with Activision expires. However, SIE CEO Ryan, who is reportedly seeking access to future Call of Duty games on equal terms and in perpetuity, responded publicly by calling Microsoft's proposal for keeping the series on PlayStation consoles "inadequate on many levels." "By giving Microsoft control of Activision games like Call of Duty, this deal would have major negative implications for gamers and the future of the gaming industry," Sony claimed. "We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality gaming experience, and we appreciate the CMA's focus on protecting gamers."

Oh the irony

[Computershack]

Fuck Sony. The hypocrisy of Jim Ryan wanting to have future releases of COD on equal terms when Playstation has enjoyed timed exclusivity on modes and content for years is beyond epic. Funny how he was happy to keep the series on Xbox consoles "inadequate on many levels" for the last half decade or more. Maybe it's because he knows just how damaging that was to Xbox that he's worried?

Re:

[NFN_NLN]

So you feel this deal going through will have positive ramifications to your average gamer?

Re:You think any deal matters

[Joviex]

So you feel this deal going through will have positive ramifications to your average gamer?

And you think any deal is made with positive ramifications for anyone other than shareholders and CEOs?

Re:

[NFN_NLN]

So people acknowledge something is bad for them, but still bitch when someone tries to do anything to correct it. Politics in a nutshell.

Re: You think any deal matters

[esperent]

> Anybody can buy shares in ATVI Anybody with spare money to invest you mean. So, not most people. I mean, personally I could probably scrape together 1000eur to throw in, and then if you're right, after the deal goes though I'll have 1250eur. Big woop. This is why people complain when a deal is only good for shareholders. Shareholders are a small number of wealthy people, and deserve appropriately minor levels of consideration compared to the huge numbers of mostly non-wealthy people who'll be affect

Re:

[_xeno_]

Yes? It's going to bring Activision and Blizzard games to GamePass. Seems pretty positive to me.

Sony's problems are pretty much all entirely of their own making. The PlayStation 5 launch has been an absolute disaster. You still can't buy the console anywhere, not even from Sony themselves.

Even if you could, pretty much every PS5 game isn't an exclusive. The ones that are PlayStation exclusive also target the PS4. The only company making PS5 exclusives is Sony, and even they've had to start releasing games o

Re:

[znrt]

Yes? It's going to bring Activision and Blizzard games to GamePass. Seems pretty positive to me.

gamepass customer != average gamer.

it is very clear why this upsets sony, this is the competition outright buying the rights for one of their traditional blockbusters.

and, guess what, i'm a gamer too and don't give a damn either way, there is life beyond these suckers, sony can happily stuff it and so can microsoft, ideally they should both rip each other's guts out in a lengthy and painful process just for the spectacle. and btw fuck cod, but a 6 digit /. account playing that is a funny picture too :-)

Re: Oh the irony

[ljw1004]

Will this merger benefit the average gamer? - yes, it'll remove the toxic culture there and this will translate directly into better games.

Re:

[stealth_finger]

Sony have never had any positive ramifications for the average gamer and you know if they could, they would have cod and anything else they can get their grubby hands on as an exclusive forever and always.

Are we sure that's why he went?

[backslashdot]

Maybe he went to buy bread from muscular 6'4" man who gave him a vegemite sandwich?

We've rubber stamped every single mega merger

[rsilvergun]

For going on 40 years. We changed the regulations to allow any merger unless it can be shown that the merger would drastically increase consumer prices and do so in a short term. Sorry Sony but this is happening and you can't stop it. And if you're a PlayStation owner say goodbye to call of duty. Not that I think they are very many people on this forum that care

Sony installing root-kits on customer computers...

[ffkom]

... is the only topic any EU politician should be willing to talk about with a Sony representative. To me, Sony ceased to exist as a possible vendor of anything when they started to act as a gang of criminals. (And I say this as someone who certainly is no friend of Microsoft, either.)

if the deal doesn't go through...

[sixsixtysix]

Activision could just say Fuck Sony. I'm sure they wouldn't, but you never know. Although, they could still fuck with them.

Raises hand ...

[fahrbot-bot]

PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan 'Flew To Brussels' ...

The entire title is in both TFS and TFA, so why is only "Flew to Brussels" in quotes? Is it a euphemism? Did he not really fly? Is Brussels a made-up place? (If not, do they have Spouts?) What?

Re:

[Bu11etmagnet]

> why is only "Flew to Brussels" in quotes? Is it a euphemism? Did he not really fly?

I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the wings to do it.

Its one game

[SlashDotCanSuckMy777]

And getting worse every release.

Nothing of gaming value will be lost.