Sony met with EU regulator on Activision/Microsoft earlier this month - report
Sep. 30, 2022 4:17 PM ETActivision Blizzard, Inc. (ATVI), MSFT, SONYGOOGLBy: Joshua Fineman, SA News Editor44 Comments
Rich Polk
- Sony (NYSE:SONY) is said to have met with the European antitrust regulator earlier this month to discuss Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) planned $69 billion purchase of Activision (NASDAQ:ATVI).
- Sony Interactive Entertainment head Jim Ryan met with the European Commission on Sept. 8 at its headquarters in Brussels, according to a Dealreporter item, which cited sources familiar. Google (GOOGL) is also said to have worries about the transaction and has voiced it concerns to regulators.
- Sony, which makes the Playstation video gaming console, has reportedly voiced its concerns that Microsoft (MSFT) could potentially limit access to Activision's "Call of Duty" franchise. Google (GOOGL) has had interactions with Brazil's antitrust regulator CADE on the deal, according to regulatory filings in Brazil.
- The report comes after Microsoft (MSFT) on Friday filed the Activision (ATVI) deal with the European Commission. The regulator set a provisional deadline of Nov. 8 to make a decision on the transaction, according to a filing on the regulator's website.
- Microsoft (MSFT) announced its $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard (ATVI) for $95 per share in cash in January.