Sony is asking antitrust enforces in the United Kingdom to either force Microsoft to sell off Activision’s flagship video game title Call of Duty, or veto its proposed acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, as the tech giant continues to face scrutiny over the effect that the proposed merger would have on competition.
Critics of the deal say that Microsoft, which produces Xbox gaming consoles, will dramatically increase its power to deny competing game consoles access to major video game titles if its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision-Blizzard goes through.
Sony, which produces PlayStation games consoles, has told the UK’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, that Microsoft should agree to sell Activision’s Call of Duty franchise — the fourth best-selling video game franchise of all time — as a condition of the deal.
Via Bloomberg:
Sony Group Corp. urged the UK’s antitrust watchdog to block Microsoft Corp.’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard Inc. deal or force it to sell the blockbuster Call of Duty, as no other solution exists that’ll prevent harm to consumers in the cloud gaming and console markets.
The UK’s Competition and Market’s Authority said in provisional findings last month that the deal could result in a substantial lessening in competition for UK gamers. It suggested a number of remedies, including the sale of the best-selling Call of Duty game or blocking the deal altogether. The agency did say it would consider other remedies that would safeguard rivals’ access to the blockbuster shooter game.
Microsoft has since said that the deal cannot be be completed without Call of Duty. It has struck long-term licensing deals with Nintendo Co. and Nvidia Corp. in an effort to appease global regulators.
The FTC filed a lawsuit in December 2022 to block Microsoft’s acquisition bid, arguing that the tech giant is likely to make Activision-Blizzard titles exclusive to its devices and platforms.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. He is the author of #DELETED: Big Tech’s Battle to Erase the Trump Movement and Steal The Election.