Activision Blizzard Chief Communications Officer Lulu Cheng Meservey talks about the success of The Last of Us. (opens in new tab) The article on HBO is positive evidence that Microsoft should be allowed to go ahead with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us is a big hit (opens in new tab), and not just by the relatively low game-to-movie standards we’ve grown accustomed to. Multiple sites described the series as “the best video game adaptation ever” when it premiered earlier this month, retaining his enviable 97% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And it’s not just for game fans: Esquire (opens in new tab) called the latest episode “a TV moment we’ll never forget,” sparking a serious debate over the Emmy and Golden Globe battles over supporting actor Nick Offerman.
Its success prompted Meservey to speak up, specifically asking the FTC if they caught the latest episode, noting that it was “a true blockbuster with tens of millions of people watching.” rice field.
“If you haven’t checked it out yet, please check it out,” Meservey said. murmured (opens in new tab)“You may be particularly interested in the fact that The Last of Us was produced by Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions. Based on a video game.”
Hi @FTC — Did you watch last night’s episode of The Last of Us? No wonder the show is breaking records. A true blockbuster, watched by tens of millions of people. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do so. You may be particularly interested in the fact that pic.twitter.com/MhcT0DmOsMJanuary 30, 2023
After rhetorically asking why it all matters, he explained that the FTC is against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. (opens in new tab) This is because dedicating the studio’s games, especially the Call of Duty series, to the Xbox may “stiffer the competition.” But the success of The Last of Us show has shown that there’s nothing to worry about. This is because “Sony is not only involved in games, but also in television, movies, and music, developing games or existing games.”
“Sony’s talent and IP in games, tv, movies and music is formidable and truly impressive,” tweeted Meservey. “No wonder they continue to reign as the market leader in consoles. In gaming, Sony was ‘our first’, and they’re fine without the protection of the FTC.”
The implication that Sony is the real ruler isn’t subtle, but what I find particularly interesting is the way Meservey’s message deviates from Microsoft’s official line: don’t make Call of Duty exclusive to consoles. . (opens in new tab)but Sony is flooded with powerful (and, let’s not overlook, exclusive) properties of its own, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if that happened.
This was an interesting position for Activision Blizzard’s official communications boss, and it sparked mostly negative reactions on Twitter. Although some respondents supported it, the majority seemed to dispute this comparison. Some respondents questioned the validity of the statement, noting that Microsoft’s Halo series on Paramount Plus was also (to a lesser extent) a hit. At least one person pointed out that The Last of Us, which has two, is completely different from the annualized Call of Duty series, even in direct comparisons between games. I’m not sure if these arguments are particularly true, but it’s clear that there are a lot of gamers out there who don’t want to see the Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard.
This isn’t the first time Meservey has run into trouble on Twitter. opposition to unionization (opens in new tab) in Activision Blizzard.
