Microsoft, which markets the Xbox console, announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in January 2022 for a record $69 billion. But competition authorities in the US and UK are keeping an eye on the plans.
The regulators mainly fear that Microsoft would bar access to Activision Blizzard games, including the highly lucrative ‘World of Warcraft’ and ‘Candy Crush’, from competitors’ platforms. “Since day one of the acquisition, we’ve been working to address the concerns of regulators, platforms and game publishers, consumers,” Microsoft CEO Brad Smith said on Sunday after Spencer tweeted. “Even as we cross the arrival line, with the transaction approved, we remain committed to ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and more consumers than ever.”
In December, Spencer said that Microsoft was committed to delivering Call of Duty to Nintendo in the decade following the Activision acquisition. He also told the financial news agency ‘Bloomberg’ that a similar agreement was proposed to Sony, the manufacturer of Playstation, the best-selling console on the market. Sony had initially strongly opposed the takeover.
After the acquisition, Microsoft would be the third-largest player in the video game industry by revenue, after Tencent and Sony, but ahead of Apple.