Playstation CEO Jim Ryan left 'stunned' over Activision Blizzard's response to allegations

Sony Interactive Entertainment’s president and CEO Jim Ryan is among the many left in shock by Activision Blizzard’s response to severe allegations, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal  reported  that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick knew about sexual misconduct instances happening within the company but did not inform his board about it. Immediately after the story went public, Activision Blizzard staff began walking out, calling for Kotick’s resignation. In response, Activision Blizzard issued a statement saying the board is still confident in Kotick.

In an internal Sony email acquired by Bloomberg, Ryan said he was “disheartened and frankly stunned to read,” the Wall Street Journal’s report.

“We outreached to Activision immediately after the article was published to express our deep concern and to ask how they plan to address the claims made in the article,” Ryan said via Bloomberg. “We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation.”

NEW: PlayStation boss Jim Ryan slammed Activision Blizzard this morning, writing in an email to staff that he was "disheartened and frankly stunned" by this week's news. "We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation." https://t.co/78mvdvqZzs

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 17, 2021

PlayStation is one of Activision Blizzard’s close partners, as the publisher’s games sell exceptionally well on Sony’s platforms. Call of Duty: Cold War even placed second on the PS5’s most played games of 2021. Similarly, titles like Call of Duty: Vanguard usually sell the most on PlayStation.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.