In other words, if Microsoft owned Call of Duty and other Activision franchises, the CMA argues the company could use those products to siphon away PlayStation owners to the Xbox ecosystem by making them available on Game Pass, which at $10 to $15 a month can be more attractive than paying $60 to $70 to own a game outright.“After the Merger, Microsoft would gain control of this important input and could use it to harm the competitiveness of its rivals.” “The CMA recognises that ABK’s newest games are not currently available on any subscription service on the day of release but considers that this may change as subscription services continue to grow,” according to the report.The CMA said it’s also concerned about “other existing rivals and potential new entrants who could otherwise bring healthy competition through innovative multi-game subscriptions and cloud gaming services.”.“The CMA is concerned that having full control over this powerful catalogue, especially in light of Microsoft’s already strong position in gaming consoles, operating systems, and cloud infrastructure, could result in Microsoft harming consumers by impairing Sony’s - Microsoft's closest gaming rival - ability to compete,” the report said.The regulator’s report, which it delivered to Microsoft last month but only just made public, goes into detail about each one, and how games as large and influential as Call of Duty may give Microsoft an unfair advantage. The CMA is focusing on three key areas: the console market, the game subscription market, and the cloud gaming market. has the power to doom this deal like it did Meta’s acquisition of Giphy. Unless Microsoft is able to satisfy Sony’s aggressive demands and appease the CMA, it now looks like the U.K. But the Xbox maker has exhausted the number of different ways it has already promised to play nice with PlayStation, especially with regards to the exclusivity of future Call of Duty titles. Microsoft hit back - hard - and accused the CMA of parroting the talking points of its prime competitor, Sony. On Wednesday, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority, one of three pivotal regulatory bodies arguably in a position to sink the acquisition, published a 76-page report detailing its review findings and justifying its decision last month to move its investigation into a more in-depth second phase. Call of Duty is starting to sink the Activision shipįor Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition, the fate of Call of Duty is starting to look less like a bargaining chip and more like a deal breaker.
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