Microsoft is in the news for all the wrong reasons. The social media was abuzz on December 29 with the trending news that Microsoft has acquired Sony including smartphone, Television, Sony Music, and the gaming business. The news turned out to be fake because the source originated from a Spanish website “Microsofters” on December 28.
Interestingly, the date is celebrated as Fools Day in Spain just like April Fools Day worldwide. The reality is Microsoft hasn’t acquired Sony and you should not believe this news. Moreover, the acquisition of companies like Sony will never happen overnight since it requires plenty of regulatory approvals. They simply can’t happen without any talks and dialogue. We know that the news was fake but the title of the English version was written in such a way to attract people.
After the appearance of the news on Microsofters, EN24 News translated into English and revealed that the Redmond-based software giant has acquired Sony for a whopping $130 billion deal. The report stated that Microsoft has acquired the entire divisions of Sony including Sony Pictures, Sony Music, Sony PlayStation, Smartphone, Television, Digital Camera including all the available and pending patents. The report mentioned the name of Phil Spencer, who is the Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft.
We saw the trending news by around 5.30 PM on December 29. We only saw one news regarding the rumored acquisition. Moreover, tweeples expressed suspicion about the origin of the content. The tech enthusiasts were not ready to accept the news and none of the main tech portals covered the story. The whole plot surrounded around one Spanish portal, which broke the news during the annual fools day in Spain. Even though Exchange4Media covered the news, the editorial team deleted the story fearing a back clash.
Microsoft is yet to release any statement regarding the news. The company seems to be on holiday due to Christmas and New Year. We can expect an official statement by January first week. However, the company generally won’t comment upon fake news. Sony also will never comment on half baked stories. That said, Microsoft and Sony are doing separate business and they haven’t merged with each other.