Sony's latest accusation in the back-and-forth between it and Microsoft is that Microsoft's demand for certain information amounts to harassment. The issues between the two companies seem to escalate ever further as all sides make controversial claims. It's making Microsoft's attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard seem like a battlefield as Sony is doing everything to try and prevent a finalized deal.
Microsoft announced in early 2022 its intention to acquire Activision for nearly $70 billion. The acquisition immediately drew an international audience and came to be under scrutiny from the regulatory bodies of 16 countries. It also brought on Sony's disapproval due to its fear that Microsoft could use Call of Duty and other highly successful Blizzard franchises as weapons against its competition. It seems Sony most of all fears Microsoft turning Call of Duty into an Xbox-exclusive product, although Xbox has said that is not its intention.
Due to Sony contesting the acquisition, this opened the door for Microsoft to subpoena documents and information in connection with the PlayStation business. However, Sony is less than happy about the extensive set of demands Microsoft has submitted. Since receiving them, Sony has met with Microsoft five times and given written responses and objections against the demands. On February 1, 2023, the two companies agreed that Sony will submit files from 7 identified custodians, but it seems Microsoft had further requests as a response. Sony requested an extension but also had issues with the breadth of information Microsoft required. Due to these circumstances, Sony responded with, “Microsoft’s demand for performance reviews for SIE’s leadership is obvious harassment.”
It seems in the public eye Sony's actions have garnered more negative feelings towards the company than positive ones. At the same time, there are still those who agree with Sony's position, thinking Microsoft demands too much insight to the point of prying into business secrets.
At the moment it's hard to tell how this saga will end, whether Sony will be successful in stopping the deal, or whether its effort was for nothing and all the company will be left with is severely damaged business relationships. Analysts believe that the deal will go through within the next year, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Source: Kotaku
