Sony won’t reveal PS6 details to Activision Blizzard if Microsoft buys it

While Microsoft is playing its main chips in front of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to close the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Sony is not far behind. The Japanese company has already warned US regulators that if the acquisition goes through, no plans to reveal PS6 detailshis next console, the one headed by Bobby Kotick.

Here’s how he stated Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), in an FTC statement last April. Copy of your comment fell into the hands of journalist Steven Totilofrom Axioswho shared it on social media.

There you can see how the head of PlayStation talks about past collaborations between Sony and Activision Blizzard. And he warns that this coalition will be broken if Microsoft manages to close the deal. According to the head, the alliance with the publisher call of Duty played a critical role in improving the PS5’s features. However, this would not be possible with PS6if the California firm came under the control of those from Redmond.

When asked why SIE can no longer share information about its next console and its development with Activision Blizzard, Ryan answered directly. “We simply couldn’t risk a company owned by a direct competitor having access to that information.”he explained. A blow to Microsoft’s liver, obviously.

Sony doesn’t want Microsoft to get PS6 info from Activision Blizzard

According to Jim Ryan, Sony’s fears about a possible purchase of Activision Blizzard are genuine. Especially when it comes to the impact this could have on the development of your next generation console, whether it’s called PS6 or not.

The SIE leader believes that if Microsoft controls him, Activision will no longer encourage the development of games that “take advantage of PlayStation’s unique features.”. But he went even further and stated that the main incentive for Santa Monica residents after the acquisition would be “the optimization of the Xbox business” and not their own.

In another excerpt from his FTC filing, Jim Ryan implicitly mentioned the PS6 again. Asked how sensitive information about features in development for PlayStation consoles is, the manager described it as “extremely sensitive”.

Return to console wars

It is clear that Sony has put forward its entire arsenal of arguments to try to prevent the purchase of Activision Blizzard. Let’s not forget that the Japanese company accused Microsoft of trying to convert call of Duty on an exclusive Xbox game and publicly criticized the offers he was offered.

At that time, the Japanese even went so far as to say that Microsoft could offer call of Duty on PlayStation until 2027 only. And if that happens, your next console will be left without access to one of the most important video game franchises in its history. Based on these statements, it is speculated that the PS6 launch could take place in 2028 as the earliest date.

It’s worth clarifying that Microsoft has since claimed to have offered a retention agreement call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years. If signed, one thing is for sure: continued play on PS6 will be guaranteed.. But today the panorama is far from achieving a handshake. Phil Spencer’s representatives also say that their intention is to use the experience of Activision Blizzard to enter the mobile gaming market. A logical position, since its participation in this sector today is practically zero.

This Thursday started a trial in which the FTC intends to block the purchase of Activision Blizzard in the United States. Microsoft’s first move was to show that the statements made by PlayStation and its top executives were, to put it mildly, contradictory. One piece of evidence presented was an email sent by Jim Ryan to the former Sony CEO stating the acquisition.

“This is not an exclusive game at all. They think big and they have the money to make these moves. I spent quite a lot of time with [Phil] Spencer and Bobby [Kotick] and i’m pretty sure we’ll keep seeing call of Duty on PlayStation for years to come,” Ryan said in the post. It will be interesting to see how the SIE leader reacts when it is his turn to intervene. and if he reveals any new details about the connection with Activision Blizzard and the future of PS6.