Microsoft
Japan has approved the Activision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft
Regulators in Japan have given the deal a green light, stating that there is no evidence that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft would harm competition.
What seemed like an endless soap opera seems to be about to enter its final stretch, and the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is only a matter of time, without loopholes so that it can be avoided. Today, Microsoft is one step closer to its goal with the regulatory body of Japan having given its approval for the operation to be completed.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission has published a statement in which it claims to have "reviewed the transaction and reached the conclusion that [it] is unlikely to result in substantially restraining competition in any particular fields of trade”. They also add that they have notified the parties that "the JFTC will not issue a cease and desist order, resulting in the completion of its review."
They also confirmed that the agreement does not have to entail restrictions on the distribution of games on other platforms. “There are competing businesses, and games are distributed in digital format, so it is unlikely that there will be a shortage of supply capacity.”
There is no doubt that this news will be received with great excitement at Microsoft’s offices, which despite having fought to prove that the Xbox brand will continue with or without this operation, surely places them in a more powerful position. On the other hand, it leaves Sony in a difficult situation.
What will happen to Call of Duty?
The real point of disagreement between Microsoft and Sony is Call of Duty. The former has insisted on several occasions on having offered PlayStation a deal by which they would assure the launch of each installment of the franchise for the next 10 years on their consoles, an agreement that they also did with Nintendo. Microsoft claims that a decade is time more than enough for Sony to develop a franchise that can become an alternative to the most popular multiplayer shooter of the last 20 years. According to what was said behind the scenes, Sony has rejected this offer on each occasion, but after each news that has appeared in recent weeks, everything indicates that there will be no choice but to accept..
Source | VGC