CMA indicates that the exclusive Call of Duty on Xbox consoles does not represent a risk in the console market. Microsoft will lose products from the saga on the PlayStation. Photo: Composition LR/Action
The UK Competition and Markets Commission (CMA) has published an update surrounding its ongoing investigation into Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. According to that, the CMA has agreed that the acquisition does not present any risk to the console market, as the potential benefits of making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox do not cover the loss of revenue that the franchise’s games generate on the console. pulpits This contradicts what the CMA said in February, when it still believed that Microsoft should have a case to add to the list of Xbox exclusives.
In a statement, the chair of the CMA investigation, Martin Coleman, explained that the findings are important in the meantime in the merger process and are designed to give the companies involved, and any third parties involved, the ability to respond to the new information previously interviewed. After considering the additional evidence, the CMA reached the tentative conclusion that the merger will not result in a material lessening of competition in console gaming services.
Although this new discovery does not affect the CMA’s considerations about the cloud gaming market, Microsoft has been working on a campaign to bring not only Xbox and Bethesda games to various cloud gaming services from third parties, such as GeForce NOW, Boosteroid and Ubitus, but also clearly mentioned all the games Blizzard’s activities will be contained in those cases if the acquisition of the publisher is approved by regulators.
In the next few weeks it will be known whether or not the greatest comparison in the history of the NCAA will take place. The CMA’s decision is due on April 26, while the European Union (which approved the deal without requiring structural measures) could announce its decision even sooner. Meanwhile, the FTC is still requesting documents from Microsoft about its latest businesses, including the one Nintendo had.
When the CMA changed its mind on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and admitted that there would be no risk in the console market, the purchase could be almost approved. If this is carried out, PlayStation will come up with a good plan to have at least one good deal with Xbox, which will now own one of the franchises that generates the most money on the Sony platform: Call of Duty. Despite this, the CMA question continues to cloud the toy market, with a final decision expected before the end of April.
