The soap opera of the takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has probably not finished fascinating us in 2023. The American firm is waging a real communication war at the FTC and hopes to win its case.
During its last speech to date, the brand headed by Satya Nadella went so far as to discuss its future exclusives developed by Bethesda Softworks.
Bethesda as an example?
The situation is tense to say the least between Microsoft and the FTC (the Federal Trade Commission in the United States). About two weeks ago, the latter chose to file a complaint against the multinational in order to block the takeover of Activision Blizzard… Acquisition announced in January 2022 for the tidy sum of 69 billion dollars. But today, it is the manufacturer of the Xbox consoles which reacts by means of a press release.
In its previous report, the FTC pointed to the many future exclusives that Microsoft could acquire once the takeover was approved. To support its point, the commission did not fail to use the example of the next games published by Bethesda Softworks (also bought by Xbox) which, for some, will land exclusively within the ecosystem of the manufacturer.
Thus, Microsoft has rightly supported this point by specifying that only three titles developed under the leadership of Bethesda will be exclusive to Xbox (while arriving on PC). If they are not precisely cited, one can no doubt imagine that it is a question of Starfield, red fall and of The Elder Scrolls VI. It remains to be seen whether other productions, such as the adaptation ofIndianaJones by Machine Games, will follow the same path. The Redmond company also specifies that other games like The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 are still supported on all platforms, including PlayStation.
A response that does not help matters
By providing this response to the FTC, Microsoft probably wants to demonstrate that buying a publisher does not necessarily mean stopping releasing games on other machines. In recent days, Xbox has even expressed its desire to launch the next call of duty on Nintendo and PlayStation for at least the next ten years. A proposal that was not to Sony’s liking. Anyway, Microsoft is sticking to its guns.
” Microsoft acquires Activision to meet the needs of the billions of gamers who choose to play on mobile devices rather than console or PC, and to learn how to create games that engage and engage them. Xbox also wants to make Activision’s non-mobile games more widely available […] Antitrust laws are meant to promote, not impede, the availability of more high-quality content to consumers at lower prices. “.
Because as Microsoft points out, the real lure behind this purchase is getting King (candy Crush), the famous creator of mobile games. A significant sector in which Xbox is almost completely absent. Finally, the manufacturer completes its argument by adding that Xbox consoles “are late” compared to those of Nintendo and PlayStation… All while remembering that the two competitors have many more exclusives than Microsoft. Case to follow!
Source : Windows Central
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