Microsoft, which owns the Xbox console and
game network platform, said in January 2022 that it would buy Activision for
$68.7 billion 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. © Reuters
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