The reports that stated tech giant Microsoft has acquired Sony Corp, including Sony’s gaming division Playstation in an astounding $130 billion deal turned out to be false.
The report, initially published by Spanish portal ‘Microsofters’ and translated into English by EN24 News, also stated that the deal entailed Microsoft acquiring various divisions of Sony Corp including Sony Pictures, Sony Music, PlayStation divisions, mobile phone division, its patents, and its camera and TV divisions. What made the report sound convincing, or at least somewhat convincing, was the mention of Microsoft’s VP of Gaming, Phil Spencer.
What also could have spurred on a few people to get the story online quickly is the fact that Microsoft has recently acquired gaming developer Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5 billion. The acquisition made Microsoft the sole decision-maker in the company that has been responsible for popular video game franchises such as Wolfenstein, The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout, reported BGR.in.
The news later turned out to be fake.
An acquisition of this level would require tons of regulatory approvals that don’t happen overnight. It takes years of negotiations for such a big deal to get sealed. However, no such reports have surfaced in the recent past.
Also, even after hours that the news broke, neither Microsoft nor Sony have released a statement — via a blog or social media — about this acquisition. Further, no major media house reported picked up the news. These three factors indicate the report to be fake.