Documents leaked by Insomniac Games’ hackers have revealed that Sony feels threatened by Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This in stark contrast to an email penned by outgoing PlayStation boss Jim Ryan when the merger was first announced, in which he expressed that the acquisition isn’t a threat to Sony.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard will position the company to “leapfrog” Sony
A presentation obtained by Insomniac Games’ hackers states that the Microsoft-Activision merger will not only “disrupt” the industry, it’ll also position Microsoft to “leapfrog” Sony in the games division. Sony also took note of Microsoft’s attempt to build a mobile gaming business with King games in its portfolio.
Sony acknowledges the “incredible strategic value” of Activision games especially in the live service arena, and specifically mentions the threat of losing Call of Duty to Microsoft. One of the disruptions that Sony is worried about is the “shift from PlayStation to Xbox with timing and in-game differential as the weapons.”
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has pledged to release Call of Duty day-and-date on PlayStation consoles for at least the next 10 years, and without any content differences. It’s unclear if this presentation predates the contract Sony signed with Microsoft or not.
