• Home
  • Games
  • Games News
  • Microsoft Activision Deal: Firm Offered to Agree to FTC Consent Decree on Call of Duty Games for Rivals

Microsoft Activision Deal: Firm Offered to Agree to FTC Consent Decree on Call of Duty Games for Rivals

Microsoft's Activision Blizzard takeover also faces scrutiny outside the US, with the EU opening a full-scale probe into the deal in November.

Microsoft Activision Deal: Firm Offered to Agree to FTC Consent Decree on Call of Duty Games for Rivals

Photo Credit: Activision Blizzard

Earlier this month, the Biden administration moved to block Microsoft's bid to buy Activision

Highlights
  • Microsoft said in January that it would buy Activision for $68.7 billion
  • Microsoft Activision deal has drawn criticism from Sony
  • Microsoft is looking to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms
Advertisement

Microsoft President Brad Smith said on Tuesday the company had offered to agree to a legally-binding consent decree with the US Federal Trade Commission to provide Call of Duty games to rivals including Sony and others for a decade. The development comes as Microsoft is seeking approval for its $69-billion (roughly Rs. 5,66,800 crore) takeover bid for video game publisher Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft, which owns the Xbox console and game network platform, said in January 2022 that it would buy Activision for $68.7 billion (roughly Rs. 5,64,474 crore) in the biggest gaming industry deal in history.

The deal has drawn criticism from Sony, maker of the PlayStation console, citing Xbox maker Microsoft's control of games such as the Call of Duty series.

FTC and Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

In a move to blunt criticism, Microsoft this month entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms. The company made the same offer to Sony.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration moved to block Microsoft's bid to buy Activision, throwing a stumbling block in front of the tech giant's plans to rapidly expand its portfolio of popular games and catch up to bigger rivals.

The deal is also facing scrutiny outside the US. The European Union in November opened a full-scale investigation, while the EU competition watchdog said it would decide by March 23, 2023, whether to clear or block the deal.

Britain's antitrust regulator said in September it would launch a full-scale probe.

As of late November, Microsoft was expected to offer remedies to EU antitrust regulators in the coming weeks to stave off formal objections to the deal, people familiar with the matter said. The deadline for the European Commission to set out a formal list of competition concerns, known as a statement of objection, is in January.

Without Activision and its variety of games across mobile, consoles and PCs, Microsoft could struggle to attract users to its budding subscription service for accessing games. Drawing subscribers has become a priority for big tech companies as traditional growth sources such as ad sales become less reliable.

© Thomson Reuters 2022


Is PS Plus better than Xbox Game Pass now? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
  • KEY SPECS
  • NEWS
Genre Shooter
Platform PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox One, PC: Windows
Modes Single-player, Multiplayer
Series Call of Duty
PEGI Rating 16+
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Realme 10 Pro+ 5G Goes on Sale in India for the First Time Today: Price, Specifications, Launch Offers
macOS Ventura 13.1 Update With Enhanced iCloud Encryption, Freeform App Now Available: All Details
Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat LinkedIn Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News

Advertisement

Follow Us
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »