When Microsoft tries to buy besieged publisher Activision Blizzard starting to run into some serious hurdlesThe software giant was forced to make some concessions in an attempt to reach an agreement.
One of them is a series of promises to rival platform holders that, if Microsoft succeeds with its acquisition, the best-selling product call of duty series will remain on their system for the next ten years (at least). endow went down pretty well with Valve and was professionally recognized by Nintendobut Sony, Microsoft’s main rival in the console space, is said to be less interested.
That’s understandable on Sony’s part! They will lose the most if the Activision sale goes on and Microsoft knows this. Here that’s why Microsoft becoming more and more—and more and more in public disappointment with PlayStation.
Some of that frustration can be explained by this new report about Bloombergsaid that in addition to promising that call of duty the games will remain on PlayStation for at least the next decade as a standalone titles at retail (as well as arriving on the same date as other systems), Microsoft also told Sony that the series could be offered on the PlayStation Plus subscription service.
Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service has dramatically changed the video game landscape over the past few years, and a lot of people simply assume that call of duty series on Xbox’s subscription platform — at Sony’s expense — would have been one of the driving forces behind the entire Activision purchase in the first place.
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So this report, if true, is certainly a surprise. It’s important to note that this is not a recent addition to the promise, made to sweeten the deal for a reluctant adversary; Bloomberg says PlayThe Station Plus aspect was part of the original 10-year deal that Sony was clearly unhappy with, part of the an offer is made when Microsoft originally three-the year’s promise was pushed back.
FTC also unhappy with Microsoft’s attempt to buy Activision. Nor is it European Union, including “opened a full investigation” into the proposed deal, said in a statement:
The Commission’s preliminary investigation found that the transaction could significantly reduce competition in the console and PC video game distribution markets, including multi-game subscription services and/or game streaming service in the cloud and for PC operating systems.
The preliminary investigation suggests that Microsoft may have the ability, as well as a potential economic incentive, to engage in foreclosure strategies against console video game distributors. Microsoft’s competitor.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority is also deal investigation, speak the merger “could be expected to substantially reduce competition in any market or market in the UK for goods or services.”
