Should Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard go through, Sony says it will withhold information pertaining to its next console from the Call of Duty publisher. This next console, presumably the PS6, won't be available for some time, but Sony is already thinking about future hardware plans.

　　This comes by way of a deposition regarding Microsoft's potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard, in which Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan made this comment to the US Federal Trade Commission. An excerpt of the deposition, which was obtained by Axios, is from April 6, and includes comments from Ryan expressing his concerns over the potential acquisition.

　　In an FTC v MS/ABK deposition, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that, if deal closes, Sony couldn't tell Activision about its next console

　　Is then asked about Sony working with Mojang (Minecraft) after MS bought them. Discussion is redacted but Ryan says it supports this concern pic.twitter.com/M86CBm3CcY

　　— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) June 21, 2023

　　When asked why SIE would no longer share confidential details about its next console and development once Microsoft acquired Activision, Ryan said, "We simply could not run the risk of a company that was owned by a direct competitor having access to that information."

　　Further in the deposition, Ryan is asked about Microsoft's acquisition of Mojang, the developer of Minecraft. Much of this portion of the deposition is redacted, so it's not totally clear, but it seems like Ryan points to working with the Microsoft-owned Mojang as a similar concern should Activision be acquired as well.

　　In April, Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard was blocked in the UK, making it unclear if the deal would go through. In May, it was revealed that 37 countries have approved the deal, and earlier this month, a federal court issued a restraining order that has halted the deal, at least temporarily.