Actually the unthinkable happened for Sony actually happened a few weeks ago when their lobbying against the Activision Blizzard acquisition actually fired back and some lawmakers in the Congress of the United States accused Sony of being the one trying to be monopolistic, we got an update and it is not good for Playstation.
In a negative development for Sony, North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Cramer had sent Sony a letter requesting CEO Kenichiro Yoshida information “regarding its anti-competitive behavior and to request information on the company’s acquisition agreements”.
The letter was discovered first by Axios and then published on the senator’s official website pretty much tells Sony that he is concerned on Sony’s action to protect its gaming business and also concerned of Playstation dominion in the market while at the same time accusing of the very same thing on Microsoft trying to buy Activision Blizzard.
A special lines says:
“I am concerned Sony’s dominance of that market, and its efforts to perpetuate its current position imperils an important economic development opportunity for North Dakota.
Given the growing significance of the gaming industry to North Dakota, I am troubled by reports Sony appears to leverage its cominance to exclude competition rather than enabling choice for players and developers.
Increasingly, it appears Sony’s dominance is attributable to exclusionary practices, including paying game publishers not to distribute their games on rival platforms.”
A big blow for me was that the senator finds Sony’s attempt to oppose Microsoft‘s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard is an example of its “anticompetitive conduct” and ironic that at the same time Sony was lobbying, they acquired Bungie.
While the best thing right now is not SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL, Sony hasn’t responded to the senators and neither the previous open letter to SIE CEO Jim Ryan, but Sony did insinuated that UK CMA could have been “bribed” to change their original position regarding the Activision Blizzard approval.
