The main conflict in this transaction was the survival of the popular Call of Duty franchise on the PlayStation console, as antitrust agents considered that the merger would allow Microsoft to take a dominant role in the video game business, particularly in the cloud business. growth.
Facing this complaint, Microsoft’s legal leader, Brad Smith, said that they would fight in court. “While we believe that peace should be given a chance, we have full faith in our arguments and welcome the opportunity to present them in court.”
The FTC argues that after acquiring smaller video game publisher ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, Microsoft decided to reserve exclusivity for games like Starfield after convincing European competition authorities they had no interest in stopping it. on competing consoles.
In early November, the European Commission – the executive arm of the European Union – announced the opening of an “in-depth” investigation into Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision Blizzard, also over the possible impact on competition in the segment. video games.
This operation has been reviewed by various regulators in the world, starting from Brazil, England and the United States. In all countries, the proposal is controversial.
With information from Reuters and AFP.
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