Microsoft held an important closed hearing in Brussels today as Microsoft tried to settle the European Commission’s antitrust concerns over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In the evening, the company held a press conference at which it announced the news about the merger between Xbox and publisher Call of Duty for $68.7 billion.
Microsoft acquired Nvidia today, which was previously rather against the acquisition. Nvidia now has assurances from Microsoft that Xbox and Activision Blizzard PC games, including Call of Duty, will be supported on the cloud service if the deal goes through. GeForce Now for PC, macOS, Chromebook, smartphones and more.
Deal with Nvidia binding for 10 years, as is the case with Nintendo. It was announced this morning and, if acquired, would include future Xbox and Activision Blizzard titles.
With these two news, Call of Duty is expected to reach another 150 million units.. According to Microsoft, GeForce Now has 25 million subscribers. Call of Duty is now expected to be available on 120 million devices, including PlayStation consoles. By doing so, Microsoft proves that they want games to be available to more players.
Sony, which is most worried about the loss of Call of Duty, has the same offer. Despite PlayStation has not yet signed an agreement and has not found common ground with Xbox. Brad Smith, VP of Microsoft, even had a contract with him at a press conference along with a pen.
We have signed a 10-year agreement with NVIDIA that will allow GeForce NOW players to stream Xbox PC games as well as Activision Blizzard PC games, including COD, after acquisition. We strive to bring more games to more people, no matter what game they play.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 21, 2023
Christopher Dring of Gamesindustry.biz was told by people familiar with the case that Microsoft and Sony are not close to an agreement. PlayStation is said to still oppose the acquisition, believing the proposed ten-year deal does not address antitrust concerns. Rumor has it that Sony would like a lifetime deal on Call of Duty.
Microsoft doesn’t want to spend almost $69 billion to make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox. His goal is to expand the brand to other platforms, including mobile. Today’s agreements with Nvidia and Nintendo should prove it.
He sees Microsoft as the best strategy for the future cross gene, for both developers and players. He wants games everywhere to work the way players expect them to.
OFFICIALS SHOULD NOT PROTECT A SUPER-DOMINANT COMPANY.
Microsoft told European Union delegates that PlayStation controls 80% of the European console market, and Xbox the remaining 20% (Nintendo somehow does not count) Globally, this is about 70% for the PlayStation and 30% for the Xbox, and in Japan it should be 96% to 4%. In addition, even problems with the production of the PS5 did not affect the interest in the next generation console from Sony.
According to Microsoft, Sony is trying to block the acquisition to secure its 20-year dominance. According to Smith the deal will increase competition and bring games to a wider audience.
As for splitting up Activision Blizzard, such as selling Call of Duty as proposed by the British authorities, that, according to Smith, is unrealistic.
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard had 45 minutes to defend the merger before the European Commission. This was followed by a fifteen minute question and answer session. Sony voiced its concerns twice in 15 minutes. Electronic Arts, Nvidia, Google, Valve and the European Gaming Federation spoke for 15 minutes each.
Source :Indian TV
