Microsoft Serves Sony Subpoena Requesting Confidential Details

As per a recent court filing by FTC, Microsoft has reportedly issued Sony a legal call subpoenaing the giant conglomerate. The Xbox creator has requested the SIE to disclose crucial and relevant covert business details in light of the FTC trial. In other words, Sony may be forced to unveil secretive info to proceed with the hearings.

Negotiations between SIE and Microsoft as to the scope of SIE’s production and a discovery schedule are ongoing,” noted the official filing. SIE responded back with an appeal of its own; Sony has asked for the deadline to be extended so a conclusion and compromise can be reached among both tech giants.

SIE requests an extension of the deadline for SIE to move to limit or quash or otherwise respond to the Subpoena so that SIE and Microsoft can continue to negotiate and thereby eliminate or narrow any issues that need to be presented to the Court for resolution,” reads the document.

Originally, the warrant was published on 17th January with the expected date of 20th January. However, Sony’s request was accepted, and the deadline has been extended until January 27th.

SIE will have to issue an official response before the deadline; its answer could have major implications moving forward with the largest acquisition in the gaming industry.

Sony has been largely against Microsoft’s buyout of Activision Blizzard, ensuring to discuss all the impediments to FTC it may face if the merger is successful.

For instance, Sony’s stock plummeted 12% only in a single day after the Microsoft merger came to light. Moreover, the PlayStation creator noted that the Microsoft Activision Deal will give Xbox an unfair advantage in the past. FTC also seems to be against the merger from the reports the gaming industry has witnessed so far.

A while ago, the FTC was suing to block Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The FTC articulated that the deal would be anti-competitive and anti-consumer, enabling it to harm competition in the gaming sphere. The lawsuit shook the prominent $69 Billion merger, making the chance of its success bleaker than ever before. 

All in all, there is still hope for the acquisition to proceed, and it could be anyone’s win here; the four-person committee at FTC appears to be tied in votes for now. In the past, Phil Spencer has also stated multiple times that Call of Duty will continue to remain on PlayStation consoles, and it will not be taken from Sony.

Many prominent regions around the globe are still deciding to vote for or against the Microsoft buyout of Activision Blizzard. Recently, the United Kingdom’s CMA extended the deadline for its Activision-Blizzard report following the “scope and complexity of the investigation.” 

Microsoft has already obtained consent from a few countries, while most remain in the reviewing process. The massive company has earned approval in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, and recently Chile so far. Permission for the deal is in the reviewing phase in various central regions, including the United States, the EU, the UK, and others. 

What are your thoughts about Microsoft seemingly issuing a subpoena asking Sony for secretive documents? Do you think Sony will eventually reveal the requested information? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.

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