Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard sees in-depth investigation by European Commission
Another regulator is taking a closer look at how the deal will impact the gaming industry.
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What you need to know
Update:A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed that the company is “continuing to work” with the European Commission as part of the investigation.
The nearly $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is getting another thorough examination from one of the major regulators.
The European Commissionsharedon Tuesday that an “in-depth” investigation was being opened regardingMicrosoft’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. Specifically, the European Commission is citing concerns that Microsoft may foreclose competitors' access to titles like the Call of Duty franchise.
Microsoft has previously stated at multiple points that the company’s “intent” is forCall of Duty to remain on PlayStation, and even be provided over on Nintendo’s gaming hardware, something that is not currently the case.
The European Commission also cites two other points of concern. First, the regulator mentions worries of how this could change the emerging market of game streaming. Second, the European Commission is concerned that Microsoft will use this deal to discourage the purchase of “non-Windows PCs.”
The European Commission has until March 23, 2023 to make a decision. This deal is also currently being investigated by the FTC in the U.S, as well as the CMA in the U.K. The deal has been approved by a couple of regulators so far,including Brazilian regulator CADE.
Activision Blizzard is composed of Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King, owning franchises like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Diablo, Overwatch, and more. Activision Blizzard recently confirmed thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 crossed $1 billion in sales after just 10 days, whileOverwatch 2 saw over 35 million playersin its first month.
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Update
In a statement toThe Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson noted that “We’re continuing to work with the European Commission on next steps and to address any valid marketplace concerns. Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation. We want people to have more access to games, not less.”
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
