Microsoft wants to add Activision Blizzard to the great project of Xbox Game Studios. Count the resources to do it (specifically 68.700 million dollars) and it would significantly increase the value of Game Pass. Sony is not amused and has been taking part before regulatory bodies for half a year, making it clear that the purchase will threaten the video game industry, despite Phil Spencer’s commitment to bring games like Call of Duty to PlayStation for at least ten years . It is the great soap opera of the year but, at this point, the question is logical: What do you think at Activision Blizzard?
To begin with, at the corporate level there are no obstacles of any kind. Last April Activision Blizzard shareholders gave the green light to Microsoft’s purchase of the company. On the same day, moreover, it was officially announced Call of Duty Modern Warfare II. Since then, the company has operated as normal and has even released several games that it had been stuck with, such as Diablo Immortal and Overwatch 2.
Hi, Lulu Cheng Meservey, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Director of Communications at Activision Blizzard, joins the conversation via Twitter and, unlike Sony, claims the merger will benefit everyone, starting with the players. Furthermore, it ensures that the suggestions that the process could become anti-competitive are absurd.
Seeing a lot of speculation about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Any suggestion that the transaction could have anticompetitive effects is absurd.
This merger will benefit gamers and the US gaming industry — especially as we face stiffer competition from abroad.— Lulu Cheng Meservey (@lulumeservey) November 24, 2022
I’m seeing a lot of speculation about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Any suggestion that the transaction could have anti-competitive effects is absurd. This merger will benefit US players and the gaming industry, especially as we face tougher competition abroad.
These statements are not accidentalbut rather that they arrive at a key moment and very shortly after the situation was reassessed from the United States on how the acquisition of Activision Blizzard would affect large companies and what effects it could have, reviewing whether there is room for anticompetitive effects to arrive to be completed.
What’s more, Microsoft wants to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch.
At Activision Blizzard they will fight to defend the acquisition if necessary.
As a reference, the Brazilian regulatory agency made the decision to allow the acquisition, since this movement did not harm other companies such as Nintendo and decided to take part for the players themselves and not for the interests of the companies. In Europe, the United Kingdom or the United States, however, things are much more delicate and are taken into account the enormous damage it can do for PlayStation.
Which does not mean that, in this period in which Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have their hands tied, Sony has taken advantage of it to add new equipment and studios to PlayStation Studios. And he intends to continue to do so.
Lulu Cheng Meserveand not only is it clear that this will benefit players, but it is making itself available to regulatory bodies to unlock the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. And not only that: anticipate that from the company they will not hesitate to fight for defend the acquisition if necessary.
We’re committed to continuing to work cooperatively with regulators around the globe to allow the transaction to proceed, but won’t hesitate to fight to defend the transaction if that’s needed.
— Lulu Cheng Meservey (@lulumeservey) November 24, 2022
We are committed to continuing to work cooperatively with regulators around the world to allow the transaction to proceed, but we will not hesitate to fight to defend the acquisition if necessary.
In less than two months it will be a year since the joint announcement of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard and each company has not only operated normally but has also committed to satisfying PlayStation players. Politely? Spencer is clear that to stop publishing Call of Duty on PlayStation is to shoot himself in the foot given the volume of sales of the game itself.
All in all, giving everyone the option to choose whether to buy the game or enjoy it from Game Pass is a win-win opportunity for all of us. In fact, the intention of Xbox is to bring Call of Duty and the rest of the Activision sagas to Game Pass, while PlayStation (according to Phil Spencer) added specific clauses to games, including Call of Duty so that they would not appear on the Microsoft service. .
Where will this soap opera end? In the end, everything is in the hands of the regulatory bodies and how they interpret the damage that can be done to a PlayStation that, by the way, defends itself quite well on its own: God of War Ragnarök has already sold more than 5 million of units on PS5 and PS4 and there are more than 20 million consoles distributed worldwide. Whatever happens, nobody is going to be left without playing Call of Duty. With any luck, even Switch gamers might join the party.
