At the first day of the legal battle between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission, a major piece of evidence has been presented in court. Microsoft's counsel has revealed an exchange between Sony's PlayStation chief, Jim Ryan, and a former Sony CEO, in which the PlayStation boss discusses his belief that Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard isn't an "exclusivity play" to lock games to Xbox.

"It is not an exclusivity play at all," Ryan's email read (via The Verge). "They’re thinking bigger than that and they have the cash to make moves like this. I've spent a fair amount of time with both [Phil] Spencer and Bobby [Kotick] and I’m pretty sure we will continue to see Call of Duty on PlayStation for years to come."

This email runs counter to the claims that Sony has made in opposition to Microsoft's acquisition plans, as the PlayStation company has frequently argued that if the deal went through, then Microsoft would eventually turn Call of Duty into an Xbox-exclusive franchise. Microsoft would constantly dismiss these claims from Sony, and after it first offered a new three-year extension deal to Sony after the current arrangement ends, it then offered to extend that deal to 10 years, but Sony has yet to agree to it.