Microsoft has filed a response to a lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission to prevent the company from acquiring Activision Blizzard.
In a 37-page document, Microsoft pleads its case regarding why the $68.7 billion acquisition should proceed – it also defends its acquisition of ZeniMax, which is owned by Bethesda, and admits that it plans to develop three future titles from the company for Xbox and PC. .
The game has not been named although Microsoft initially announced that The Elder Scrolls VI would be available on their platforms, confirming that Starfield would be an exclusive, according to a report by theverge.
Microsoft’s filing often runs counter to FTC concerns, it also focuses on the real struggles of regulators, and contains many of the self-harm Microsoft has known in recent months, as it tries to present itself as a weak player in the game. compared to its own game. competitors.
The FTC also said in its complaint that acquiring Activision Blizzard would help Microsoft suppress competitors in the fast-growing Xbox and cloud gaming business.
There’s also been a lot of concern regarding the future of Call of Duty, to the point where Xbox chief Phil Spencer has publicly promised that the franchise will be on PlayStation for as long as PlayStation exists.
In response to the FTC, Microsoft states its promise to expand, not limit the availability of Activision’s game series by bringing it to the Nintendo Switch.
In a statement to The Verge, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also ruled out closing the deal, saying, “There is no clear and understandable reason not to close our operations.” Our industry faces intense competition and barriers to entry, we’ve seen more tools than ever before, progress to give game developers a variety of options to play games and engines and tools are freely available to developers big and small.
The development of game distribution options has not yet begun to spread, and we believe that we will win on the merits of the case.
The direct response came from Microsoft President Brad Smith, and he said: We will stick to creative and regulatory solutions that will protect competitors, consumers and technology workers. As we learned in previous cases, the door is not closed to agreements that benefit everyone.
