“Nothing unique” about games from Activision
Microsoft wants to spend 68.7 billion dollars on the takeover of the video game publisher Activison Blizzard announced in January in order to become the world’s third-largest game manufacturer in one fell swoop. But regulators haven’t approved the deal yet. In order to get the green light, Microsoft is now downplaying the importance of both companies to the gaming industry.
Competition watchdogs in several countries are currently scrutinizing Microsoft’s almost $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The British Competition and Markets Authority, for example, would like to make a decision by September 1 as to whether the deal can go through. The New Zealand Trade Commission also reported competition concerns. “Nothing Unique” about Activision Blizzard GamesMicrosoft is now trying to diffuse them by downplaying its own importance and that of Activision Blizzard. In a response to the Trade Commission, Microsoft said there was “nothing unique” about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that “would be must-haves for competing PC and console video game retailers and could raise concerns about market foreclosure.” Microsoft emphasizes that even after the merger there will be a number of important competitors, referring to Tencent, Nintendo, EA, Sony, Take-Two and Epic Games. In any case, the “vast majority of games will be developed and published by parties other than the new company.” “Call of Duty” for Sony “unrivalled” with “World of Warcraft”, “Starcraft”, “Overwatch” and “Call of Duty” However, Activision Blizzard has some high profile brands in its range. The latter alone has brought in more than $27 billion since its debut in 2003, which is what prompted Activision’s Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Alegre, to describe “Call of Duty” as “one of the highest-grossing entertainment series of all time” last year, according to rockpapershotgun.com. Microsoft’s competitor Sony recently described the shooter as an “essential game” that has “no competitor” to Brazil’s competition watchdogs. “‘Call of Duty’ is so popular that it influences console choice, and the user community is so strong that even if a competitor had the budget to develop a similar product, it wouldn’t be able to to surpass it,” quoted videogameschronicle.com from a PlayStation manufacturer’s response to the Conselho Administrativo De Defesa Economica.
Reference-www.krone.at
