With a hefty $68.7 billion price tag, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the most costly deal ever made in the gaming sector. The fact that many people believe this deal would be anti-competitive has drawn a lot of attention to it. The European Union is now conducting an intensive inquiry into the transaction.
The biggest problem with the acquisition under investigation by the EU is blocking access to Activision Blizzard’s console and PC video games, the most prominent of which is Call of Duty. It appears that Microsoft will turn to making concessions to competitors in order to hasten the completion of this purchase. With the help of Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, most recent tweets, they have already disclosed the concessions they will be providing to Nintendo and Steam.
As soon as the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard is approved, a 10-year agreement will be made to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo. They have stated that their major objective is to make more games accessible to more players, wherever and however they choose to play them. After Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s merger is complete, Microsoft will continue to provide Call of Duty games on the platform, concurrently with Xbox, and has extended the same 10-year commitment to Steam.
Last but not least, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith recently tweeted some criticism of Sony. He claimed that their acquisition agreement will expand Call of Duty’s accessibility to platforms and players, which would be advantageous for both the market and the competitors.
He continued by expressing gratitude to Nintendo before saying, “Any day Sony wants to sit down and chat, we’ll be pleased to work out a 10-year deal for PlayStation as well.”
