Activision CEO: 'We Might Have to Stop Supporting Sony'

Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, is one of the most powerful executives in the interactive entertainment industry. His words carry weight, and today he publicly revealed his displeasure with the state of Sony's console business.

"I'm getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don't make it easy for me to support the platform," said Kotick to The Times. "It's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation."

Kotick estimated that his company paid half a billion in royalties to Sony Computer Entertainment last year and he thinks it might not be worth the investment if the PS3's house is not put in order. "They have to cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates [the number of games each console owner buys] are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony," he said. "When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console — and the PSP [portable] too."

This threat may never come to pass, but the potential loss of the Call of Duty, Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk brands practically guarantee that Sony will not take these comments as idol banter. We've contacted SCEA to get their reaction.