480°

Sony’s PlayStation chief privately said Microsoft’s Activision deal wasn’t about Xbox exclusives

A surprise revelation just minutes into the FTC v. Microsoft hearing.

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theverge.com
-Foxtrot344d ago

Why not just lead with this though, knowing MS has a bigger plan and coming out to talk about two publisher acquisitions along with all the new IPs they've now acquired would have been better than just focusing on COD.

Call of Duty could still be part of that argument but it holds up even better if they'd mention everything like buying up a big part of the gaming industry. I mean he even says "they have the cash to make moves like this" so part of the argument could be "After Activision what's next?"

4Sh0w343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

“It’s not an Xbox exclusivity play at all,” Ryan wrote in the email, “they’re thinking bigger than that, and they have the cash to make moves like this. I’ve spent a fair bit of time with both Phil [Spencer, boss of Xbox] and Bobby [Kotick, boss of Activision Blizzard] over the past day. I’m pretty sure we will continue to see COD on PS for many years to come." -Jim Ryan Jan 20, 2022

"In March, Activision Blizzard EVP Corporate Affairs and CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey took to Twitter to claim Ryan had commented on Sony’s true motivation in a behind-closed-doors meeting in Brussels. “In his words: ‘I don’t want a new Call of Duty deal. I just want to block your merger.’ “ -Lulu Meservey March 2023
https://www.ign.com/article...

-Now I remain consistent its just business, Ryan is fighting dirty behind closed doors BECAUSE his only obligation is to ps and being a thorn in Microsoft side like it or not is in ps only gamers best interest -I mean unless you think Microsoft promising to keep CoD on ps for 10 yrs is just because Phil loves gamers, No its to help get the deal done and yes of course because its a huge deal so they want their RoI but make no mistake Phil could keep it on ps *without promising for how long, so yeah Ryan already got something out of fighting it behind closed doors= Now just don't insult my intelligence trying to make sony into some sort of Saints everytime Microsoft makes a deal. They're all just alike.

Crows90343d ago

You call defending PlayStation gamers fighting dirty? So what is Microsoft doing?

4Sh0w343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

-Uhm only dirty in the sense that he isn't being transparent and truthful about why? Considering behind closed doors he knows CoD will stay on ps but publicly he cried as if Microsoft was taking it off ps tomorrow and sony would be soooo hurt without CoD. That was what was submitted to regulators to ensure the deal would be blocked. "Sony claims it ‘can’t survive’ without Call of Duty on PlayStation" https://www.ggrecon.com/art... Yet he knew it wasn't true, is that not "dirty" in your mind.

Frankly I get it, I mean even if we don't like the way these execs manipulate those who dont know any better, including the FTC which seems really clueless about exclusive deals, but I digress, the point is the HUGE double standard when as you say Microsoft is "defending" Xbox gamers....ya know the only ones they are obligated to, just like Sony.

derek343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

Sounds like someone who at one the time was assured from the parties that exclusivity wasn't on the table. But things changed over the course of the year.

derek343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

@4show, Jim Ryan isn't in any position now to garuntee that. It's clear that Microsoft plans to take it off of playstation down the road.

343d ago
Pickledpepper343d ago

You all make me laugh.
Arguing over who or what console/company is better.
This seriously reminds me of religious groups fighting.

343d ago
Prime157342d ago

"Now just don't insult my intelligence trying to make sony into some sort of Saints everytime Microsoft makes a deal. They're all just alike."

I think the one thing a lot of you tend to forget before commenting is that this is why competition is important.

MS already acquired a huge publisher with Bethesda. Now they're spending 5 times more to get one of the biggest.

Stop defending the dirtiest of capitalistic tricks, a MONOPOLY, in the works.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 342d ago
Lightning77343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

Ryan went on to say, “We have some good stuff cooking,” referring to Sony’s Bungie acquisition which Sony announced just days after the email exchange. “I’m not complacent, and I’d rather this hadn’t happened, but we’ll be OK, we’ll be more than OK.”

I know ppl want to make fun of Jim but he's just doing his job at PS. He's not gonna just flat out tell the regulators yeah it's OK Xbox buys ABK. No he's gonna fight against the deal even if he's made hyperbolic statements.

It's also interesting that he knew this whole time MS wasn't gonna make it exclusive also.

It looks like he believes in Bungie in particular. Maybe Marathon will be able to compete with cod? He seems to speak highly of them more than the other live service studios. Then again their other studios aren't proven.

TFJWM343d ago

I find it strange that this article leaves out when the email was sent. It was January 20, 2022 - two days after Microsoft announced its intent to purchase Activision Blizzard. This could strengthen Sony's case since they were fine at the start than saw what MS had been doing with their other recent purchases.

4Sh0w343d ago

What? No....that sounds backwards to me? He literally said on Jan 20, 2022 he knew CoD would stay on ps because he's talked alot with Phil & Kotick. Then we find out over a year later behind their backs he's been complaining not because he doesn't believe CoD won't stay on ps but because "I just want to block your merger."
https://www.ign.com/article...
-In other words he just wants to stop Microsoft from making a huge acquisition.

343_Guilty_Spark343d ago

Posted this same story from IGN and was told it was a duplicate. Go figure.

sparky77343d ago Show
Christopher343d ago

This was posted 20h ago, btw. Well before the IGN one. Go figure?

sinspirit343d ago

It clearly must not have a logical reason like this and must be a fanboy pulling the strings in the background.

InUrFoxHole343d ago

Lol. Time stamps don't lie

Christopher342d ago (Edited 342d ago )

***Lol. Time stamps don't lie ***

Actually they do if you don't know that they reset when going from pending to approved.

Check created versus approved time https://imgur.com/a/VqHmVyD

sinspirit343d ago

"Posted this **same** story from IGN and was told it was a **duplicate**. Go figure. "

.. You just explained an actual reason why it wouldn't pass and still complain. You're literally creating your own problem and still blaming it on others.

343_Guilty_Spark343d ago

Submission process didn’t show this article otherwise I wouldn’t have submitted it.

If it’s a duplicate fine. We had like 10 duplicate articles on Redfall, Starfield, and Microsoft did XYZ.

They pick and choose what to approve.

FortWaba343d ago

Maybe Josh Wilding from CBM. Com works around here as well?

rlow1343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

I know how you feel

CBaoth343d ago Show
specialguest342d ago

Don't waste your time submitting stories/articles. You're basically doing the job for them for free. That's how the site works

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 339d ago
PhillyDonJawn343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

Say whaaat!?!? What a revelation.
Hold up.... 😕 I just fully read the article after typing that sentence....yo WTF is Jim Ryan doing?! He basically gave up the fight. Yo Phil definitely paid Jim off. Aint no MF way Jim just goes "ya it's no biggie we'll be alright, Phil's cool this has nothing to do with exclusives" like wth!!! I'm shocked and confused asf. 😕.... if he's in fact against the merge still then he put up a shiddy argument

Flakegriffin343d ago

Yeah, you can tell he fights on Twitter.

PhillyDonJawn341d ago

I only use Twitter to look at chicks lol

Crows90343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

Maybe because the ftc is focusing on cloud that there's no reason for him to go the exclusivity angle at all anymore.

PhillyDonJawn343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

But then MS can be like we'll make all Abk games multi cloud plat. But exclusive on console. Boom approved

VincentVanBro342d ago

Who tf even communicates this way. my immediate assumption is that you are retarded or a child

sparky77343d ago

Not a surprise Sony caught lying again.

It's no wonder Phil is seen as the golden child he's the only exec that tells the truth.

Christopher343d ago

***It's no wonder Phil is seen as the golden child he's the only exec that tells the truth.***

0.o

C'mon, you can't really believe that.

outsider1624343d ago

"C'mon, you can't really believe that."

Come on, you know he does.

-Foxtrot343d ago

Jesus I’ve heard it all now

I really have

Crows90343d ago

Wait till tomorrow Xbox "fans" have a limitless supply of crazy.

Crows90343d ago (Edited 343d ago )

Phil said exclusives aren't what he's after and goes against what they're doing.....hmm

Are you sure you want to keep to your claim?

He also states he just spent days with them or something ...maybe they talked more? Just a thought. One someone changes their tune it's not always a lie. It could be that negotiations changed or whatever...he's still trying to block the deal.

SonyStyled343d ago

It was from January of 2022. A year and a half ago

Nacho_Z343d ago

"It's no wonder Phil is seen as the golden child he's the only exec that tells the truth."

One of the most laughable comments I've seen on this site and that's saying something. I hope, in the interest of your sanity, that you don't really believe that.

AmUnRa343d ago

When you believe that last sentence, that says alot about who your idol is,
You are making a a fool of your swlf.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 343d ago
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210°

Trying to push players over from PC to console is a terrible idea, PlayStation

As PlayStation announces its new strategy to encourage PC users to choose PS5 it is a bitter-sweet moment for PC gamers.

Christopher19h ago

I mean, it's a business based on hardware market. Do we expect them to not even try? It's not like Nintendo doesn't do the same by not putting any games on PC and Microsoft until recently did the same. I don't care what they attempt, as long as they don't abuse the community or lie about their goals/requirements.

Will it work? Not likely. Should we care? No. Let them waste their time, it doesn't affect anything.

RaidenBlack18h ago

let them try ... at the end of the day, we get few extra PC games ... yay ... and also promotes game preservation via PC ... so double yay.

LordoftheCritics2h ago

If only Playstation games provided the ease of pc gaming features.

Primary being very few PS games support m/kb.

Fishy Fingers17h ago(Edited 17h ago)

I wish them the best of luck.

But PC players are often a patient bunch, many will even wait for Epic launcher exclusivity to end until a game comes to Steam.

If they didnt buy the console when its games were exclusive, why would they do it now theyre not?

MrNinosan3h ago

Way more do than you probably think.

ravens523h ago

All you need is that one game that'll make a few switch at a time. Like a game a PC player REALLY wants.

outsider162411m ago

I mean if there's 10 million pc gamers out there...getting atleast just 1 million from there is probably a good thing..right?

-Foxtrot17h ago

PC gamers are just too patient and loyal to their gaming set ups, something they've spent a lot of money on to perfect. They have backlogs of games which many never get round to finishing or get round to at all and will always have other multiplatform releases to keep them going.

Over the many years Sony has published so many awesome titles such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, Heavenly Sword, Infamous, Killzone, LittleBigPlanet, Dreams, Puppeteer, Resistance, Heavy Rain, Gran Turismo, Motor Storm, God of War, Horizon, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne

If none of those games BEFORE all these PC ports convinced a hardcore PC gamer to get a PS5 console then why on Earth would porting them them to PC now make any difference? All PC gamers now know 100% is that they just have to be patient, which they are good at anyway to get a PS5 game 2 years later.

I get GaaS games or multiplayer focused titles but if people really want to play these games they'd have gotten a PS console years ago.

Crows9034m ago

Not sure they're aiming to convince the hardcore PC gamer.

Not sure why people are obsessing over his comment...it seems pretty simple to me.

He will do all he can to entice gamers to move to his ecosystem. As you say....exclusives existing hasn't moved many gamers over. But if they get to try them and love the games then they might change their mind about waiting 2 years.

We're in an echo chamber on this site...I've Personally seen people with Xbox and PC setups but no PlayStation. I've also seen people with small PC setups but no console. Not every pc gamer invests thousands and many may decide to put one in the living room.

They're not looking to convince all of players to buy a PlayStation...just a few...and really it is just a PR statement after all...they have to give a reason why single player won't release day 1....not to mention they also have to ensure current PlayStation gamers don't jump ship to PC. It goes both ways and they're ignoring the big L by putting any of their games off their platform.

Kakashi Hatake15m ago

PC gamers think tomorrow is promised. Sorry, don't have time for that.

helicoptergirl17h ago

Who cares? Then just stay on PC and play the waiting game. No big deal. Sony wins in the end anyway.

Number1TailzFan17h ago

I mean if there's any single player Sony games that I actually want that aren't on PC then I would buy said console to play them on. But the ones that I like that aren't on PC are few and far between anyway so no loss for me.

If I game, it's usually multiplayer titles, otherwise I like playing around with some other software.

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50°

ARK: Survival Ascended Premium Mods on Consoles Q&A - By 2030, Time Spent on UGC Will Be Way Bigger

ARK: Survival Ascended has introduced Premium Mods on consoles. Wccftech talked to Studio Wildcard and their partner Overwolf about the rising importance of user-generated content, especially for live service games.

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wccftech.com
250°

Neil Druckmann clarifies true intent of new Naughty Dog game comments

Following a recent interview with Sony, Naughty Dog head Neil Druckmann claims the original intent was “unfortunately lost” in the process.

just_looken6d ago

He can take dog shit put it in a oven with seasoning then call it waistland cookies the sony fans will pay $40 a cookie give them a medal of cooking.

No mater what trash this sobs puts out/talks about it will sell.

The true fact in the 8 years sense uncharted 4 his first time in the main seat to a point all this "amazing" team did was get 2 dudes to fuck in a van then destroy a franchise they never created.

But being a port studio they are decent at they should keep in there lane at being just that a glorified port studio.

fr0sty6d ago

Salty Bots... gotta love it.

just_looken6d ago

@frosty

Over what? naught dog under his command is a glorified port team tlou2 was mostly tlou 1 asset's with the same game play loop but forced a trans down your throat.

I would gladly help pay for this blight and his team to get removed from gaming in general.

fr0sty6d ago

Seeing a LGBT person exist in a work of fiction isn't "forcing them down your throat". Nobody is forcing you to play it. Nobody is forcing you to agree with it. If you think that just seeing a LGBT person exist is "force", it sounds like they make you very uncomfortable, and maybe you need to be doing some serious reflecting on exactly why... looks to me like you're suppressing something with all that fear.

just_looken6d ago

@fro

When i think of the last of us i think of a group of survivors crossing the apocalypse wasteland with a growing bond between 2 people that end up with Joel making ellie his new daughter.

Then you fire up the 2nd one bang joel is dead oh that comic series? bang dead

Oh you want to continue all that we grew in the first one? na f that toss it in the trash

Now here is a trans woman so strong superboy would blush go out there kill all what made tlou1 then halfway get a forced sex scene that you can not skip between 2 dudes.

The gameplay? just like the first game the combat/backpack system crafting sytem? 0 changes/improvements.

I could go on but lets face it they copy pasted that tlou 1 assets bin a shit ton of times.

There is nothing on the box or the ads or anything before the game that said you would going to spend most of the game controlling a new trans character that has no ties to anything of the first game the only existence was to kill what the first game made.

Oh but hey there is a mp mode coming out before 2022 wait what is that? oh we made it its own game then cancelled it now go but the game again as we port it a few times.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

mkis0076d ago (Edited 6d ago )

What has Straley or Henig released since they left ND? Not a thing! stop scapegoating! Which of them is credited with co-writing a majorly successful show?

just_looken6d ago

@mkis007

You bring up Bruce Straley really? someone that gave us 4 generations of amazing games and was there in the creation of 4 legendary franchises but was tossed in the trash for the pos niel druckmann not 7? years ago

So yeah in those 7? years you right all he has done is get 2 awards one is a game award for a puzzle game he made oh boy right like for fuck sake's all niel has done is one game that was a overhyped fan boy orgasm underneath all that ps jizz was just a typical 5/10 game.

Then you drag Amy Hennig that poor woman was also kicked out then became this century's Brendan Fraser with her sexual misconduct information coming out.

We all know how horrible people are treated behind the scenes she might have been sexual attacked groped or something.

So yeah all she did after was battlefield hardline forspoken now that new marvel 1945 game but hey Brendan Fraser was a great actor till he also said he was sexually attacked just now he is allowed back in no doubt she also had to take a leave of absence out and or was forced out on ice.

Man there are way to many out there that look at niel at the new gaming jesus when all he had done is some work on uncharted 4 then tlou2

Oh also the tvhshow? for real all they did was use stuff from the 2013 game its like saying GOT was a 10/10 but never watching past season 3

-Foxtrot5d ago

@mkis007

That's highly unfair to them both

Amy Hennig got messed around working on projects that got cancelled by the publishers (EA) and then ended up on a awful game (Forspoken) where you had 4 other writers working on it which is just a recipe for disaster. She is now working on Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. Not her fault she was pushed out of NaughtyDog, something both Nolan North and Richard McGonagle have both said in interviews.

Bruce Straley left after burn out, the rest of the story we don't know and will never know just like what happened with Amy Hennig. He decided to take a break and wasn't sure if he wanted to come back to gaming however he had an idea he wanted to make so he founded Wildflower Interactive, a smaller studio where they are currently working on a new game.

Tacoboto5d ago

@the obvious stain of a commenter

The trans character wasn't Abby. Try playing Part 2 instead of gatekeeping what you think Part 1 was about and meant.

Maybe try watching the show while you're at it, because you're terribly off with your opinion on that too

MajorLazer5d ago

Naughty Dog is better than all the MS studios put together.

derek5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

@just he has been behind 2 of the greatest games ever made. Tlou2 was easily the best non-vr game made last gen. Losers just can't get over Joel's death, mixed with the usual console war nonsense. The fact that you so casually call him a sob shows how deranged some gamers have become about Drunkmann.

derek5d ago

@frosty, for people like Just, including anyone that can be categorized as being a minority in any kind of media is "forcing it down his throat " lol. I to don't care for poor "checking box" inclusion for inclusion sake but that was not the case with tlou2.

fr0sty5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

The pathetic part about it is, you can tell just_looken never even played TLOU, because that was the game where Ellie's sexuality was first brought to light... No "that was forced down our throats" to be said about that.

Only terrified folks in the closet that use their hatred as cover from outing themselves fear LGBT people that much. They exist. They will exist in all aspects of life, including popular media. Get over it.

just_looken5d ago

@all

Once again you drag out something like its a big win

Here is my old channel a clip of me playing TLOU on ps3
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Search my channel for more clips

Proof its my channel? look at this profiles banner that is 7yrs old then look at other vids on that channel like my bf3 clips to see my psn id. But knowing this group that is way to much work.

Also elle being a lesbian is another trump card? one dlc is all we got of that a dlc that took over a year to be tossed out.

Rainbowcookie5d ago

Hey at least we have cookies to eat 😄

+ Show (12) more repliesLast reply 5d ago
Rangerman12086d ago

Glad he clarified it but i'm still somewhat skeptical. Plus, his comments about how Ai will revolutionize storytelling were still pretty iffy.

anast6d ago

No need to bow down, Stan your ground. The AI comments were gross though.

S2Killinit6d ago

Pretty excited as I read these. I just cant wait to see what ND is up to.

Export6d ago

put a chick in it and make her gay !

shadowknight2036d ago

Next they need a diverse couple, and perhaps some climate activists

StormSnooper5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

I would love that if only to piss off all the lunatics. Lol

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