Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that he is ”very confident” that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard will gain approval from regulators.
The Microsoft-Activision deal, valued at nearly $70 billion, would be the largest deal in the gaming industry ever. However, the deal has also found itself under scrutiny by competitor Sony and market regulators who fear antitrust issues.
Last week, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said that the inquiry into the deal had expanded into the second phase due to several antitrust concerns. Sony and many regulators believe that Microsoft’s deal will harm competition.
Sony’s main issue seems to stem from the fact that the deal would grant Microsoft ownership over Call of Duty, one of the biggest franchises in gaming. However, Microsoft has assured Sony that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation for several more years beyond the current agreement.
Nadella spoke with Bloomberg about the situation, saying that ”so if this is about competition, let us have competition.”
He also admitted that ”any acquisition of this size will go through scrutiny, but we feel very, very confident that we’ll come out.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan had called the proposal for Call of Duty by Microsoft ”inadequate on many levels.”
Despite the issues and setbacks, both Phil Spencer—head of Xbox—and Nadella stated that they believed the deal would eventually go through.
Want more DZSH with you? Sign up for our newsletter today for fun games, updates, and more!
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.
