The UK CMA has published a statement regarding Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, citing that its concerns with granting approval for the acquisition come from Microsoft’s actions after it acquired ZeniMax.
“Third parties told the CMA that Microsoft would benefit from making Activision’s content exclusive to Game Pass, and that this would be consistent with Microsoft’s behaviour in relation to past acquisitions, including that of ZeniMax Media, where Microsoft did not uphold its promise to continue making Bethesda content available on multiple stores and platforms.”
Call Of Duty is the franchise that’s been brought up the most in regards to potentially holding up the deal, but it seems like the CMA is concerned beyond just the one franchise.
“Most Game Pass rivals lack the popularity and range of content that Game Pass would own post-Merger. Given the importance of Activision’s content, current and future rivals could be affected by any foreclosure strategies using that content.”
With these concerns it’s beginning to grow more and more curious as to whether or not the acquisition will actually go through.
Source – [Twitter]
