Microsoft on Xbox deal: Activision offers ‘nothing unique’ and ‘no must-have titles’
Do Activision games really not bring a unique benefit to the Xbox?
By the end of the current fiscal year, i.e. no later than June 30, 2023, Microsoft wants to complete the takeover of Activision Blizzard. Most recently, the company’s shareholders have already given their blessing to the mega deal, but there are still a few meters to go. Specifically, the Xbox team must credibly demonstrate why the tech industry’s largest takeover to date, at around $70 billion, does not violate antitrust law. The argument is quite surprising.
According to Microsoft, Activision does not develop unique games
It’s all about this: in one report The New Zealand Commerce Commission read a response from Microsoft in which the company downplayed the importance of acquiring Activision Blizzard. Specifically, it’s about the publisher’s games, which, according to the Microsoft team, would not bring any decisive advantages (via Rock, Paper, Shotgun):
There is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that would be a “must have” for competing distributors of PC and console video games and that would raise concerns about foreclosure.
Why the statement? Why would Microsoft spend so much money on a company that brings them “nothing unique”? As strange as this statement may sound, the purpose behind it is simply to clarify that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard would not result in Microsoft alone controlling the market and thereby violating antitrust laws. So there is a clear purpose behind the statement.
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What is the truth of Microsoft’s statements?
Whether or not Activision Blizzard actually develops must-have titles is certainly debatable. What is certain is that Call of Duty is still the most successful franchise in the gaming industry and sells like hot cakes year after year. The publisher also has popular IPs with Diablo and Warcraft.
Here you can read which franchises will soon belong to Xbox Game Studios with the deal:
Activision Blizzard deal
Xbox buys these studios and franchises
Sony agrees: In a survey by the Brazilian competition authority, Sony recently stated that CoD alone is so popular that many people could switch from PlayStation to Xbox, even if the franchise would continue to appear on its own platform. Other publishers, on the other hand, see it more cautiously and call it PUBG or Apex Legends as serious competitors for Call of Duty.
What do you think, are there games that can seriously compete with CoD, Diablo, Warcraft and Co.?
Reference-www.gamepro.de