Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Sued
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is a record-breaking deal in financial terms, but also a legal turmoil. The deal has become the subject of a battle between the American company and a number of authorities. Most recently, the Federal Trade Commission joined in.
The dispute between Microsoft and the rest of the world is once again making itself known. The thread of the deal valued at about $69 billion, involving the absorption of Activision Blizzard by the Redmond giant, is returning with doubled force. As reported earlier, the Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft over suspected antitrust violations.
Purpose of the lawsuit
The authority in emphasizes mainly the fact that Microsoft has already committed similar practices in its history. The case of the acquisition of ZeniMax, Bethesda's parent company, was cited as confirmation of these words. At that time, Bill Gates' company, despite assurances that it was unwilling to monopolize the market, decided to make certain game series exclusive. The Federal Trade Commission therefore believes that Microsoft may repeat its conduct, which is why it intends to stop the company from trying to limit competition in the game market.
Rebellion against Microsoft
The lawsuit has been suggested for some time now. Thus, the authority joins other organizations, including the European Commission, raising concerns in the context of Microsoft's actions. In turn the most concerned company about the Activision Blizzard acquisition is Sony.
Multiplatformity at risk
The fear of the Japanese company is not unfounded. Activision Blizzard has been producing popular game series for years (for example Diablo, Call of Duty or World of Warcraft) and releases them on various platforms. These productions have repeatedly received considerable attention and acclaim on PlayStation consoles, among others. Sony therefore fears that the biggest deal in gaming history will limit the availability of such popular games exclusively to Xbox consoles.
Microsoft tried to alleviate the conflict by offering a 10-year deal for CoD to the Japanese. However, this was met with disapproval from both Sony and the European Commission.
Conflict like a Venezuelan soap opera
Doubts over Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard have dragged on for months. So far there is no compromise solution on the horizon. Moreover, it seems that the situation, with the addition of more authorities, is getting only more and more complicated.
