Activision video games “Call of Duty” are envisioned in a shop in the Manhattan district of New York City, New York, U.S., January 18, 2022.
Carlo Allegri|Reuters
EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday opened a major examination into Microsoft’s $69 billion quote for “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard, alerting the offer might harm competitors.
The U.S. software application business, which revealed the handle January, is wagering Activision’s steady of video games will assist it contend much better with leaders Tencent and Sony, with the latter being a critic of the offer.
“The Commission’s preliminary investigation shows that the transaction may significantly reduce competition on the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, including multigame subscription services and/or cloud game streaming services, and for PC operating systems,” the European Commission stated in a declaration.
“In particular, the Commission is concerned that, by acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft may foreclose access to Activision Blizzard’s console and PC video games, especially to high-profile and highly successful games (so-called ‘AAA’ games) such as ‘Call of Duty’,” it stated.
