The world of video game development is in great flux, as giants reach into their pockets to acquire valuable assets for their growth. This was the case, among others, for Microsoft which, at the beginning of the year, announced the largest transaction in the industry, which made an offer of US$68.7 billion.
Featured Image: Activision Blizzard
By getting its hands on a catalog that includes Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Warcraft and Overwatch, to name a few, Microsoft was giving itself quite a deck of cards to increase its grip in a highly competitive industry.
However, he’s starting to get a little gritty in the gears.
In a press release, the Competition and Market Authority, in the United Kingdom, has raised concerns about this transaction.
“If Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, it could harm its rivals, including new and future entrants to the games industry, by denying them access to Activision Blizzard games or providing them with access on much more difficult.”
In short, the CMA is waiting for answers from the main players involved in the transaction, which fears that the whole thing will create a precedent that would harm the principle of free competition.
It could therefore be that a more in-depth investigation, with independent experts, will take place.
For his part, Phil Spencer, of Microsoft, assures that there is nothing to fear. Not only does he not want to deprive a rival console of popular titles like Call of Duty, but he has indicated that his company wants, on the contrary, to take advantage of the new expertise to expand its network in the mobile games sector.
Is all this brouhaha likely to harm the transaction?
In fact, it may delay the process a bit and the outcome of all this is not yet clear.
Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick mentions that several countries have already approved the whole thing. In fact, only Saudi Arabia has officially given a positive response.
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