UK Suggests Thorough Review of Activision Blizzard Acquisition and Phil Spencer Responds
The country’s regulator believes a buyout of this size could be used to hurt Microsoft’s competitors.
Several months have passed since Microsoft announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Research around. While the Brazilian regulatory commission relied on Sony’s statements to move the process forward, Saudi Arabia approved the acquisition. However, the entity United Kingdom expressed concern about the transaction.
We are concerned that Microsoft will use its control over popular games to harm its competitors.CMAAlthough the European country began its own investigation months ago, it is now recommending that the deal be reviewed. more depth. At VGC, where some of the fears commented on by the region’s regulator are gathered, we read this: “Following Phase 1 of our investigation, we are concerned that Microsoft is exercising control over popular games like Call of Duty or World of Warcraft. harming opponentsincluding new and future competitors in multi-game subscription services and cloud gaming,” explains Sorcha O’Carroll, senior merger director at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
“If our current concerns are not addressed, we plan to explore this deal with Turkey. deep investigation It’s in Phase 2 to come to a decision that benefits UK gamers and companies.” In response to this conclusion, Microsoft president Brad Smith said they would cooperate with the regulatory commission, making the transition to video games easier.
We received evidence of the potential impact of merging Activision Blizzard with MicrosoftCMAIn its summary of Phase 1 of the investigation, the UK entity reiterates its concerns about competitors that Microsoft could harm with the acquisition, adding: “The CMA also potential impact Merging Activision Blizzard with the broader Microsoft ecosystem. Microsoft already has a leading game console (Xbox), a leading cloud platform (Azure), and a leading PC operating system (Windows OS); all of these, your cloud gaming success“.
Phil Spencer’s response
After announcing the first results of Phase 1 of the CMA investigation, Phil Spencer He published a letter reiterating Microsoft’s commitment to bring games to the greatest number of people. “While we love consoles, we realize that it’s not the only way to play. Consoles are the biggest and fastest growing segment today. mobile platforms“, the head of the Xbox starts.
Giving players choices makes video games more accessiblePhil Spencer“To reach billions of players wherever they are and whatever device they play, vote. Giving players a choice in how they play their games makes video games more accessible and larger and more vibrant communitiesSpencer explains in the post.
In this way, the head of Xbox remembers that Microsoft is expanding this option in two ways: bringing more games to the mobile ecosystem and expanding the Xbox Game Pass catalog. “Subscription services like Game Pass more affordable and help players around the world find their next favorite game,” says Spencer. bring more games to more players, not less“.
We aim to make the Activision Blizzard library available on Game PassPhil Spencer“We aim to make Activision Blizzard’s beloved library, including Overwatch, Diablo, and Call of Duty. Being available on Game Pass and grow these gamer communities,” the letter states. “We look forward to continuing to grow Game Pass and extending its appeal to mobiles and all connected devices, by delivering even more value to gamers.”
Coming back to the CMA investigation, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have five days to issue a statement. handle problems brought forward by the organizing committee. If the answers of both companies are not accepted by the business, an in-depth review will be made. Microsoft has already clarified its plans for Activision Blizzard games and has already confirmed that Call of Duty deliveries will also come to PlayStation.
Source: 3D Juegos
