Even from Nintendo’s perspective, there are all kinds of juicy insights, quotes, and documents coming out of the Microsoft v. FTC hearing.
The final day of the ongoing courtroom battle briefly focused on exclusivity. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadalla admitted in his own testimony that he would “love it” if Xbox could end the whole concept of “console exclusivity” but blamed Sony, as the “dominant player”, for how the market has evolved – leaving Microsoft with no other option. apart from the competition.
“If it were up to me, I’d like to get rid of all console exclusives, but that’s not for me to define specifically as a low-share player in the console market. The dominant player there [Sony] has defined market competition through the use of exclusives, so that’s the world we live in. I don’t like that world.”
Although Microsoft intends to close this acquisition, it does not actually intend to block competitors from Activision Blizzard games. For example, it has already made a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s systems and other platforms if the deal goes through.