Sony Says It Can’t Share Early PlayStation 6 Details With Activision if Microsoft Deal Goes Through

thewrap.com:

deposition transcript for the FTC vs Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King case, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CEO Jim Ryan explained why the company wouldn’t be able to share key info about its upcoming PlayStation console with Activision were Activision to be bought by Microsoft (via Stephen Totilo).“We simply could not run the risk of a company that was owned by a direct competitor having access to that information,” Ryan said, alluding to the possibility that if Sony shared info with Activision to help it craft console-exclusive features for hypothetical PlayStation 6 launch titles, Activision’s (would-be) parent company, Microsoft, would examine the details of the still-in-development PlayStation 6 and have unfair knowledge of what its rival was cooking up.

This knowledge would possibly enable Microsoft to integrate its competitor’s console’s benefits into its own next-generation hardware.Ryan also said he believed Activision under Microsoft would not be incentivized to take advantage of unique PlayStation features, as Activision would be focused first and foremost on making its game experiences great on Microsoft’s systems (Xbox and PC).

Ryan’s statement circles back to Sony’s previously stated fears that Microsoft owning Activision would lead to the latter’s games being lesser experiences on PlayStation systems.

Microsoft refuted these fears, but based on this deposition, if Sony is unwilling to share console details in advance, it may be concocting a situation wherein Microsoft legitimately cannot deliver on its commitment to not hamper the PlayStation experience.“As an independent company, Activision is incentivized to make great games on all platforms,” said Ryan, when asked what Activision’s primary.