Microsoft has called out Sony for not testifying in person in the FTC case over the planned merger with Activision-Blizzard.

　　Last week, a judge temporarily blocked the Microsoft Activision-Blizzard deal from closing while the order for a preliminary injunction is being considered by the Court. This was in response to a motion from the FTC some days before that.  The court ordered a pre-evidentiary hearing on the preliminary injunction for later today with full hearings taking place between tomorrow and June 29th.

　　A freshly published, "jointly" submitted, court document has now mentioned the witnesses that both the FTC and Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard will call upon during the hearings. This document contains the names of several key executives from various parties, including NVIDIA's Phil Eisler, Bethesda's Pete Hines, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Xbox CFO Tim Stuart, Xbox Game Studios Head Matt Booty, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, as well as Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, and Playstation boss Jim Ryan. While most of the listed witnesses will testify in person, there are several who will testify by video deposition, including Sony's Jim Ryan. "Plaintiff is calling Mr. Ryan by video deposition designation to testify about competition in the relevant antitrust markets, the video game industry, competition in the high-performance and broader video game console markets, cloud gaming, video game subscription services, the effects of the Proposed Acquisition, and any topics as to which he previously testified", the court document reads."

　　"Defendants are calling Mr. Ryan by video deposition designation to testify about the gaming industry, including console gaming, subscription gaming, cloud game streaming, mobile gaming; Sony and Xbox’s negotiations regarding the distribution of Activision content, and any topics as to which he previously testified. Plaintiff’s examination (including direct and cross) 45 mins. Defendants’ examination (including direct and cross) 60 mins."

　　Interestingly, in a statement to The Verge and various other outlets, a Microsoft spokesperson has now taken a jab at Sony for not being present and testifying in person. “Unlike Sony, our most senior executives will testify in person to answer any questions about our business strategy", Microsoft's General Manager of Public Affairs, David Cuddy, said in the statement. "This deal means more choice for gamers, a fact that only becomes clearer the more you look at the case."

　　It should be noted that Ryan isn't the only witness that won't testify in person during the hearing - NVIDIA's Phil Eisler and Jeff Fisher as well as Nintendo's Steve Singer will also testify through a video deposition.

　　We'll update you as soon as more about the FTC vs Microsoft Activision-Blizzard comes in.