Microsoft ‘better off’ announcing car than buying Activision: Sony exec

The former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment thinks Microsoft would have been “better off” announcing an electric car than trying to buy Activision Blizzard.

Chris Deering made the comment in an email to PlayStation chief Jim Ryan last year. The email thread was revealed early in the FTC vs. Microsoft hearing about the acquisition, and The Verge‘s Tom Warren shared a full copy of it on Twitter on June 28th.

here’s the bombshell Jim Ryan email about Xbox exclusivity with Chris Deering, who says Microsoft would have been better off announcing an electric car than buying Activision???? More about the email here: https://t.co/733gxlp9ca pic.twitter.com/cUvV0Ywhmy

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 28, 2023

“If this was a play to end run PS4 etc, I think it was massively overvalued and will not meaningfully succeed. I guess MS can piss away that kind of valuation without being more harmed than helped, but I an [sic] not losing a wink of sleep over the future for our baby. Hope you agree,” wrote Deering. “P.S. they would have been better off announcing a new Electric Car. [sic]”

While Deering’s comments are humourous, Ryan’s thoughts are the more important part of the email thread. As The Verge reported on June 22nd, the email shows Ryan isn’t concerned about the acquisition’s impact on PlayStation, writing:

“It is not an [Xbox] exclusivity play at all, they’re thinking bigger than that, and they have the cash to make moves like this. I’ve spent a fair amount of time with both Phil [Spencer] Bobby [Kotick] over the past day, I’m pretty sure we will continue to see [Call of Duty] on [PlayStation] for many years to come.”

Ryan’s comments run counter to the arguments Sony has used to fight the acquisition. So far, Sony has raised concerns that if Microsoft’s acquisition went through, the company would work to make Call of Duty and other popular titles from Activision Blizzard exclusive to the Xbox platform.

Already, the FTC vs Microsoft hearing over the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been an absolute treasure trove of information about the companies involved as well as competitors, like Sony’s PlayStation and even Nintendo. The court even uploaded confidential financial information about Sony games like Horizon Forbidden West and later removed them after discovering the documents weren’t properly redacted.

Source: Tom Warren (Twitter)