The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been working through an in-depth investigation into the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. It appears that the public comments are more in-favor of Microsoft. Approximately 75% of public comments are for the acquisition.
The CMA invited members of the public to give their thoughts on the Microsoft Activision merger, a step in its inquiry. The CMA did reveal that it received over 2,100 emails and that “around three quarters were broadly in favor of the Merger and around a quarter were broadly against the Merger.”
The CMA shared responses it received as a part of its briefing. Some responses expressed views like “Sony and Nintendo are stronger than Microsoft in console gaming, and the Merger will help Microsoft compete more closely against them.” Another response stated that “the Merger is a reaction to Sony’s business model for PlayStation, which has historically involved securing exclusive content or early access to popular cross-platform gaming franchises, such as Final Fantasy and Silent Hill.”
Those against the Merger said that “Microsoft is already dominant in PC operating systems, and this Merger is an attempt to gain a similar position in gaming.” Another stated that “this would be the largest merger in gaming history, paving the way for a potential string of future acquisitions of publishers such as Take Two, EA, Ubisoft, thereby increasing concentration in the market.”
Currently, the CMA is still months away from their final report. However, they are planning to continue gathering evidence. The FTC in the United States has announced plans to sue to block the acquisition, calling the deal harmful to competition in “high-performance gaming consoles and subscriptions.”
Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
