According to the FTC, the transaction could hurt competition. At the same time, bureau officials say the American software giant has already “bought valuable gaming content and used it to suppress competition from other consoles” in the past.
At the same time, the European Commission launched a thorough investigation into the merger a month ago for the same reason. The British Antimonopoly Authority (CMA) also expressed concern over the takeover in September.
Metaverse also attracts Microsoft. That’s why he decided to acquire a billion dollar game
Games and game systems
The authority is primarily concerned that Microsoft may be favoring its Windows operating system and Xbox game consoles by denying competitors access to popular Activision Blizzard games. “We are concerned that Microsoft could use its control over popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft to hurt competition,” said Sorcha O’Carroll, head of mergers and acquisitions at the CMA.
Microsoft’s board vice chairman Brad Smith said the above concerns are unfounded and the company is ready to settle the whole situation in the FTC case before the court. “Representatives from industry leader Sony say they are concerned about Call of Duty. But we are saying that we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Sony’s Xbox and PlayStation consoles,” he added.
It’s not just Call of Duty
Microsoft planned to complete the acquisition during this financial year, which ends on June 30, 2023. It’s not yet clear whether that date will be pushed back due to the investigation. But if the authorities finally give in to the American software giant, it would be the biggest buyout of all time in the history of video games.
After the successful completion of the entire deal, Microsoft is expected to grow into the world’s third largest game company, at least in terms of revenue. It will therefore rank very close to Tencent and Sony. Microsoft would own a number of famous names in the gaming world – to name at least Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot and Spaceship.
The Xbox will also be more expensive, but not before Christmas
Games and game systems
