While Microsoft continues to provide evidence and arguments that allow it to complete the purchase of Activision, Sony continues to try to block it. However, the Japanese have run into a major drawback. The FTCthe United States regulatory body, has asked PlayStation to reveal some exclusive game deals it has with third parties.
Specifically, PlayStation must give this information to Microsoft, not to the public. The order, evidently, is a notable setback for the Japanese, since these documents are of a confidential and they will reveal part of their future strategy to their main competitor.
But beyond the above, Microsoft can use this information to show how PlayStation is limiting the availability of games. third party. Curiously, one of Sony’s biggest concerns is that Redmond’s will turn call of duty in a franchise exclusive to the Xbox platform.
It is worth mentioning that the FTC’s movement comes after Microsoft, last January, requested access to these and other private documents of its rival. Sony did everything possible to annul the request, mentioning that it had no relevance to the case.
In addition, always according to Sony’s words, collecting them took time and a significant investment of money. And it is that the documents required by Microsoft date from 2012 to date.
Despite Sony’s arguments, the FTC was not convinced and leaned towards Microsoft’s request. The authorities mentioned that contracts can influence the course of the case because, as already mentioned above, much of the concern surrounding the Activision purchase stems from the prospect of turning its popular franchises into exclusives.
Now, the only salvageable news for Sony is that the FTC did not agree to let Microsoft inspect contracts from more than a decade ago. Therefore, the Japanese will only have to present those signed between January 1, 2019 and the present.
Microsoft sees the light at the end of the tunnel despite the obstacles of PlayStation
This has not been the only good news that Microsoft has received this week. According to a Reuters, the European Commission could approve the purchase of Activision.
This substantial change of opinion would have arisen after Microsoft closed agreements with NVIDIA and Nintendo to carry call of duty to their respective platforms. The move made it clear to regulators that those of Redmond do not intend to limit the game to their platformbut take it to many others where it is currently not available —GeForce Now and Switch—.
So it seems that Microsoft only has two giants left to convince. The FTC and the UK CMA. The second is the one that has assumed a stricter position with regard to the purchase proposal. However, it is very possible that they end up going the way of the European Commission given the agreements that the Redmonds reached recently.