Microsoft and Activision: CMA Publishes Competitor’s Response, in Favor of Acquisition

Study work continues onMicrosoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard at the British antitrust, or the CMA, which has recently published the response from a competitor who took sides clearly in favor of the operation.

At this stage, the antitrust is receiving responses from various players in the gaming market who can express their opinions on the acquisition, as feedback that the CM extension will take into consideration to analyze the case. The recent document, which you can find in its entirety at this address (in PDF format), comes from a source that has not been disclosed but is identified as a “market participant A”, i.e. probably a publisher or a development team, if not even a hardware manufacturer.

What emerges from the document is a clear statement in favor of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, considered positive both for the increase in competition and for the increase in quality available to users. It should be noted, however, that the document also addresses the CMA directly, calling it to the duty of protect consumers and “not just preserving the status quo of competitors,” with considerable candling.

“While several concerns have been raised, notably by Sony, the CMA’s priority should be to protect consumers and not to preserve the status quo of competitors,” the document reads. “It is understandable that Sony wants to maintain its position given the investment and energy it has put into creating it, however the landscape is changing given the widespread adoption of subscription services and cloud-based platforms in other industries as well.” it reads, “These have lowered barriers to entry and these innovations have enabled consumers to have new ways to access and pay for content, as well as an expansion of these without sacrificing quality.”

The response of this mysterious competitor focuses above all on the vision of the technological future, increasingly based on services, for which the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft would translate into more benefits for users.

“We believe that Microsoft wants to propagate innovation and set the pace towards subscription services and cloud gaming, it is not surprising that a technology company sees the direction in which the market is moving. Conversely, it seems that Sony is looking at the transaction from the point of view of a hardware company, without keeping in mind the future developments of the industry,” the document reads.

“There is no evidence to suggest that this deal will inhibit Sony or any other competitor from being able to compete in the subscription or cloud gaming market. Entry barriers are low, the market is extraordinarily dynamic and new competition can arise through innovations and original content, all of which are good for consumers.”

A new meeting of Microsoft with the British antitrust is scheduled for this week to discuss the acquisition again, while among the latest news has emerged the possibility that the company has proposed to Sony to bring the Call of Duty series to PlayStation Plus.