Sony Interactive Entertainment is trying to limit its involvement in Microsoft’s current battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its Activision Blizzard deal.
Legal documents show Microsoft recently subpoenaed its competitor in the hopes of building a defense against the FTC, which filed a lawsuit against the Xbox maker in December 2022. Sony was originally meant to respond or kill the subpoena by January 20, but has now been granted an extension up to January 27 (this Friday).
Reportedly, Microsoft has asked for Information on the scope of Sony’s game production. In the past, Sony has said losing revenue from Activision Blizzard would be felt in future console generations (like the PlayStation 6), and it wasn’t in a position to make a substantial first-party competitor.
With how much time Sony has spent arguing that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard would hurt PlayStation specifically, Microsoft wants to learn how much the acquisition would truly hurt PlayStation’s business. Naturally, Sony would like to limit as much information as possible.
As a result of the extension, Sony and Microsoft can now “continue to negotiate and thereby eliminate or narrow any issues that need to be presented to the Court for resolution.”
According to the agreed motion, Microsoft has until April 7 to gather the relevant information. Sony said its extension request won’t delay proceedings.