Microsoft’s plan to acquire Activision Blizzard is in turmoil as the Federal Trade Commission (CFC) in the United States has formally filed a complaint under the Competition Act.
Featured Image: Blizzard Entertainment
This is not a surprise as such, since, at the end of November, Politico had heard of this possibility.
This means that the CFC wants to prevent Microsoft from bringing franchises like Call of Duty, Diablo, Candy Crush or Overwatch into its fold, since it does not trust the company to ensure the fair distribution of these. ci to other consoles or, even, to offer a gaming experience of equal quality to players who have chosen a rival.
It would therefore become, for them, a way to harm the competition, even if this week, the intention to bring Call of Duty back to Nintendo was announced if the transaction was approved.
In fact, the CFC fears that the past is a guarantor of the future, taking example with the purchase of ZeniMax which, despite the promises made in Europe, saw the company then bring RedFall and Starfield as exclusives for Microsoft products.
Microsoft has already shown that it can and wants to withhold content from its gaming rivals. Today, we seek to stop Microsoft from taking control of a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in several dynamic and growing game markets.
– Holly Vedova, Director of the CFC Competition Office
From now on, it will be a debate that will move to the Federal Court. If the CFC wins its case, it would simply put an end to Microsoft’s ambitions to swallow Activision Blizzard, in its current form at the very least.
Everything will take place over the next few months, but time will be pressing for the parties involved, since the purchase offer is valid until July 2023. After this time, it will be necessary to renegotiate a new pact or simply relegate the forgotten project.
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