The European Commission has decided to open an in-depth investigation of the proposed Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In a press release, the European Commission stated their concerns regarding the deal, fearing that it “may reduce competition in the markets” for video games and PCs. The Commission has until March 23, 2023 to make a decision on the matter.
The Commission specified Call of Duty as the main driver behind their concerns:
“In particular, the Commission is concerned that, by acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft may foreclose access to Activision Blizzard’s console and PC video games, especially to high-profile and highly successful games (so-called ‘AAA’ games) such as ‘Call of Duty’.”
Microsoft has repeatedly stated that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation consoles, with Xbox’s Phil Spencer saying that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation “as long as there’s a PlayStation to ship to.”
Xbox’s official response to the European Commission’s investigation mentioned Call of Duty in specific as well. The Verge’s Tom Warren received a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson, with Microsoft saying: “Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation.”
The European Commission says that it will investigate the potential impact on video game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus. The Commission will also investigate if the acquisition would “discourage users to buy non-Windows PCs” if Microsoft were to combine “Activision Blizzard’s games and Microsoft’s distribution of games via cloud game streaming to Windows.”
The UK and US are also performing investigations into the matter. Brazil has already approved of the deal.
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