“if this is about competition, let us have competition,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella remarked in reference to the company’s proposed purchase of Activision Blizzard, indicating that he maintains his optimism about the deal’s success.
“Of course, any purchase of this scale will go under scrutiny,” Nadella says in an interview with Bloomberg. “But we feel very, very confident that we’ll come out on top.”
We are joining the @Xbox family.
Learn what this means for our iconic games and player communities: https://t.co/abPxlb37kA pic.twitter.com/Z8sVgsjScz
— Activision Blizzard (@ATVI_AB) January 18, 2022
Activision Blizzard
Concerns have been raised, most notably by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the United Kingdom, over the possibility that the merger may have a negative impact on overall levels of competition in the gaming sector. On the other hand, Nadella brings up the fact that Sony, Microsoft’s primary rival, has also bought studios, including significant ones such as Bungie.
Then, if this is about competitiveness, let us have competition, argues Nadella. Concerns over the anti-competitive implications of the merger revolve around the possibility that brands like Call of Duty might become exclusive to platforms developed by Microsoft.
Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, has already confirmed that he would like to keep Call of Duty as a multiplatform franchise for the foreseeable future. However, he would like to add the franchise’s titles to Xbox Game Pass in order to make it accessible to Xbox customers in a variety of different ways.
The Chief Executive Officer of PlayStation, Jim Ryan, criticized Xbox’s promise to prolong the availability of Call of Duty on PlayStation for just three extra years after the contracts that are now in place expire, calling it “inadequate.”
Other businesses, such as Electronic Arts, believe that a successful merger might open up new chances for their own franchises if the two firms are able to work together successfully. According to the company’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, the multiplatform nature of the Battlefield series might stand to gain from the possibility of Call of Duty becoming an exclusive Microsoft property.
The transaction, which is valued at close to $70 billion, is by far the largest gaming buyout of its type and is now being investigated by authorities all over the globe. Investigations of the proposed business transaction are now being carried out in a number of countries, including the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), Brazil, and others; a decision about the matter is not expected for at least a few months.
Final Words
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