Sony demands that Microsoft be forced to sell Call of Duty before acquiring Activision
The Japanese electronics giant Sony Group Corp., which produces the PlayStation game console, urged Britain’s Competition and Anti-Monopoly Authority to reject the US software empire Microsoft’s takeover of British computer game development company Activision Bilzard, or to force the US company to sell the famous Call of Duty game. Sony said there was no third option to prevent customer harm in the cloud computing and PC gaming market.
Britain’s competition protection and anti-monopoly authorities warned last month of the dangers of the US software giant Microsoft Corp’s acquisition of computer game company Activision Blizzard for $69 billion in competition in the UK computer game market, indicating that it might have to force both parties to sell a game. “Call of Duty” to a third party to complete the transaction.
The British Competition and Markets Authority said that it took a preliminary look at the deal and believes that it may lead to a significant reduction in the level of competition, an increase in prices, and a reduction in available options and innovation in the video game market in Britain, as the British Competition Authority proposed a set of structural amendments that include disengagement between the two companies. And Call of Duty and part of Activision’s activities so as not to completely block the merger deal, adding that it would study the possibility of requiring Microsoft to promise competitors access to the Call of Duty game before agreeing to the deal.
For its part, the American software and technology empire Microsoft agreed to allow the famous games produced by the British company Activision Blizzard to run, such as “Call of Duty” on the competing Nintendo Switch, while refusing to sell the game completely and saying that without obtaining this game it cannot be done. The purchase of the British company.
Microsoft said that if the acquisition of Activision is completed, it will allow the continuation of classic games such as Call of Duty on competing devices.
Microsoft Director Brad Smith said that these games will be available on the Go Force Now live broadcast service on the same day they are launched on the Xbox game console, with all its contents. Microsoft also intends to allow the game to be used on the Nintendo Switch, which is significantly inferior in performance compared to Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony Corp’s PlayStation.
He added that Call of Duty will be available on about 150 million additional gaming devices under an initial 10-year agreement.
