In January 2022, Microsoft shocked the global gaming industry by announcing that it was planning to acquire Activision Blizzard, a giant in the gaming industry. However, due to concerns that this new group will monopolize the game industry, investigations by the authorities in the United Kingdom and the United States were underway, and there is a possibility that the investigations by the authorities in the United Kingdom will become more serious in the future.
Is Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard even more difficult?
In January 2022,Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzardhas been announced. If this massive $69 billion acquisition goes through, the Microsoft-led group is expected to become the world’s third-largest game development and sales group after Tencent and Sony.
However, in July, the UK Competition and Markets Authority, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), announced that it was “involved” in the proposed acquisition.waitedCNBC said thatwas reporting. “Call of Duty” and “overwatchand Diablo, and other world-famous game titles such as Activision Blizzard.
At that time, the Competition and Markets Authority said it would make an initial decision on whether or not to accept the acquisition by September 1, but as a result,Possibility of full-scale investigationthat it came toBloombergreports.
Agreement must be reached by the 8th
If the Competition and Markets Authority is unable to provide remedial measures for the agency’s concerns, it will become a more full-scale investigation.Phase 2” showed the prospects for.
“By using Activision’s games, along with their power, in our console, cloud and PC operating system markets, Microsoft will be able to:It could hurt competition in the cloud market development‘, It is said that it is necessary to reach a satisfactory agreement with Microsoft by the 8th.
Remind again that the PS version of CoD will be released “for several years”
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and vice chairman, responded, “We are ready to work with the CMA on future steps and address any concerns.”
“Sony, as an industry leader, has expressed concerns about Call of Duty,Release the same game for Xbox and PlayStation on the same dayOur commitment to this is as we have stated so far, ”he said on the Microsoft site.Message from Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer, released on September 1However, I would like to remind players to do so.
As a side note, CEO Spencer said in January that even after the Acquisition of Activision was completed, “a few yearsIn a statement to The Verge, it said it had agreed with Sony to ensure that CoD titles would continue to be released on PS and have the same functionality across all platforms.
CEO Spencer promises continued cooperation
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision was not only announced by the British authorities, but also by the US Federal Trade Commission in June.A message of deep concern over market monopolies and their impact on workers(English) is emitted,AustraliaBut the Competition and Consumer CommissionSurvey target(English).
When the investigation enters “Phase 2”, a more thorough examination of internal information and documents will be conducted. In the release referenced above, Spencer continued to maintain a spirit of transparency and openness in the investigation,This In-Depth Review Shows Microsoft’s Merger With Activision Blizzard Will Benefit The Gaming Industry And Playersand
After the shocking announcement, the acquisition process has been unexpectedly thorny, but what concessions will Microsoft make to bring it to completion? We will continue to pay attention to Microsft’s acquisition of Activision, which is expected to be completed in 2023.
Source: Bloomberg