The department believes that Activision Blizzard will help Microsoft gain a dominant position in the market and start harming competitors
Recently, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed claim in an attempt to thwart a deal between Microsoft and Activison Blizzard. The department believes that the merger will allow Microsoft to establish a dominant position in the gaming market, which will seriously harm not only competitors, but also ordinary users. As a result, everything once again came down to Call of Duty, which Microsoft allegedly appropriated entirely to itself.
ActiBlizz and Microsoft, in turn, issued a lengthy response to the regulator’s lawsuit, calling the FTC’s fears unfounded and wrong.
“Acquisition of one game [речь опять о серии Call of Duty] the third most popular console maker, can’t influence a highly competitive industry.
The fact that Xbox’s dominant competitor has so far refused to accept Xbox’s offer doesn’t justify blocking a deal that would benefit consumers. Providing consumers with high-quality content in a variety of ways and at lower prices – antitrust laws should support this, not prevent it, ” — speak at Microsoft.
Microsoft also once again reminded that it is committed to comply with all agreements between Activision and Sony, as well as to enter into new ones, if any.
Activison Blizzard’s attitude towards the FTC lawsuit is much more negative. The company believes that everything has been turned upside down in the department and is trying to “rewrite antitrust laws” in an attempt to protect Xbox competitors from “hypothetical harm that has no basis in market realities».
“The FTC is asking this court to protect the world’s largest gaming companies from further competition from Xbox and thereby turn antitrust law on its head.
Blinded by ideological skepticism about high-value technology deals and competitor complaints, the FTC has not only lost sight of the realities of a highly competitive gaming industry, but also the fundamental principles of our nation’s antitrust law.”.