Much is being said about regulatory pressure on the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. It is a fact that the European Union and the United Kingdom are fully investigating the agreement, amid concerns that it could be anti-competitive, and the United States seems not to want to be left behind. Something that has not gone down well with the Californian firm.
to the point such that Lulu Cheng MeserveyChief Commercial Officer and Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Activision Blizzard, described as absurd the possibility that the transaction would have monopolistic effects. This was stated by her through your Twitter account.
“I see a lot of speculation about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Any suggestion that the transaction could have anti-competitive effects is absurd. This merger will benefit gamers and the video game industry in the United States, especially as we face more competition. hard from abroad,” he said in a tweet.
Activision Blizzard defends the purchase of Microsoft tooth and nail
The aforementioned executive did not hesitate to take a firm stance in this situation. While she said they remain committed to collaborating with regulators around the world, she assured that “They will not hesitate to fight to defend the purchase”if necessary.
The timing of Lulu Cheng Meservey’s comments is not causal. On Wednesday it was learned that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) I would be preparing a legal case that could lead to a block to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The same, valued at almost 69,000 million dollars, was announced in January of this year and, if confirmed, will leave the company under the control of Microsoft Gaming.
Be careful, that the North American regulators analyze the judicial route does not mean that the million-dollar agreement is doomed to failure. However, it can lead to a rather complex process that the companies involved clearly want to avoid. Let’s keep in mind that Redmond wants to close the deal before the end of the current fiscal year, in June 2023; and an intricate legal case could undermine that possibility.
So far, the main voice against Microsoft taking control of Activision Blizzard has been Sony. The Japanese firm openly opposes the agreement, considering that it may affect the future availability of some of the most important PlayStation titles. In this sense, call of duty it takes all eyes.
The Asians have claimed that if Microsoft cuts the availability of said saga on PlayStation in 2027, it will affect the commercial performance of its next console. This has led to the belief that the PS6 could arrive no earlier than 2028.
Sony accuses, Xbox denies
From the beginning, Microsoft has come out to discredit the doubts expressed by Sony about the purchase of Activision Blizzard. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said several times that the intent behind the purchase is not to limit the availability of your intellectual property on PlayStation. He has even said that the main focus of the acquisition is to target the lucrative mobile gaming market.
The truth is that this novel is still far from writing its last chapter. If the FTC does finally move forward with a court filing, it will be interesting to discuss their raises and concerns. Let us not forget that the organism is run by Lina Khan, who is known for her aggressive stance against large corporations and deals with potential anti-competitive implications. The directive has already earned the enmity of Meta and Amazon, and was key to knocking down NVIDIA’s purchase of ARM.