back to article Microsoft's $69B deal to buy Activision Blizzard under investigation by EU regulators

The European Commission launched an antitrust investigation examining Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of computer games maker Activision Blizzard on Tuesday. Microsoft agreed to buy Activision in January, when the Californian games studio was in the middle of a PR crisis and its share price was falling. Lawsuits and …

  1. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

    The obvious problem with limiting AAA games to a single platform is there'll be a massive revenue drop from reduced sales. While it might force a few ardent gamers to buy an XBox, many are likely to just be pissed off by the move and not buy the game.

    So it seems like MS limiting any release to XBox and some PCs would be shooting themselves in the foot.

    Which probably means that's exactly what they'll try. Perhaps not immediately after the sale goes through (if it goes through). Give it a year, two years max before they start trying to make everything a "platform exclusive".

    1. Freezus

      The combination of supply issues and the economic climate have meant Microsoft and Sony have had a tough enough time getting people to upgrade their PS4s and Xbox Ones. The expectation that PS5 owners will sell up, no doubt at a big loss due to a lack games, and buy a Series X/S seems a massive gamble

      1. Aladdin Sane

        Maybe, but if there's to be a 10th gen, this long term bet could pay off very well.

    2. The Dogs Meevonks Silver badge

      Consumers are more loyal to the platform than they are to the game... If you take away one of the games... the % of people who will change platforms is tiny compared to the lost sales.

    3. DragonBorn87

      No!

      How come nobody realizes just how many PlayStation only AAA games that Sony has. Like seriously. Microsoft is lacking so badly when it comes to AAA games and they flat out admit that they are lacking in AAA games for the Xbox and admitted that PlayStation has so many for AAA games a there disposal then what Microsoft has. I'm just getting sick and tired of hearing everyone including Sony themselves saying that if this deal goes through that it's going to basically destroy Sony. Especially with Sony trying to be extremely over the top dramatic and saying that if this deal goes through that it's going to cause them to foreclose is ridiculous. Losing one AAA game even if it is call of duty is not going to hurt PlayStation like everyone is making it out to. I don't care what anyone tries to say.

  2. Kane
    Boffin

    Point of Order...

    "Although Microsoft wants to get its hands on Activision's popular franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft for its Xbox unit"

    Call of Duty is already on the Xbox (most of the various consoles' iterations have had it at some point), and for the life of me I can't ever see World of Warcraft appearing on a console, anywhere, at anytime. That is definitely a game that requires a mouse and keyboard.

    I'm sure there have been some crazy fools out there who have done it, but anyone who attempts to play that game with a controller will rapidly run out of buttons to assign actions.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Point of Order...

      "I'm sure there have been some crazy fools out there who have done it, but anyone who attempts to play that game with a controller will rapidly run out of buttons to assign actions."

      XBox and PS5 already support keyboards and mice.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    69 Billion... +2 sword

    You knew long ago that video games would catch on and become popular but, did you ever think that video games would be wielded like a +2 sword for soulless corporations?

  4. DragonBorn87

    This is getting old.

    I'm getting sick of hearing about this Activision deal stuff and how everyone is make a huge deal off it and freaking out about it. It's getting old real quick. There's no reason for this world wide freak out over this Activision deal. It's ridiculous and unnecessary and for everyone saying it's going to hurt Sony if they lose call of duty. No it's not going to hurt Sony. PlayStation has so many AAA games at there disposal that it's not even funny so I'm getting sick and tired of seeing people saying this deal will severely hurt PlayStation cause it won't no one bit. I don't care what any of you try to say. Everyone just thinks that Microsoft is just out to screw over Sony and they really aren't. Microsoft has flat out said that they don't have enough AAA games and that Sony has way more AAA games on there side. Microsoft is actually last between Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Sony is just a bunch of greedy bastards and they want to be number one (which they are) in console gaming and they are being ridiculous and acting like if they lose call of duty to Microsoft that it is going to ruin them and everyone is being a bunch of over dramatic ball babies about this whole deal oh boohoo Sony. This is all this has been about is how Sony will be screwed if Microsoft takes over Activision and takes call of duty away from PlayStation. Hell I've even seen a ridiculous article saying that oh Sony will foreclose if this Activision deal goes through from Sony themselves saying that and that's Definitely being extremely over the top dramatic for Sony to say that. Like no one is going to just sell there PlayStation and get a Xbox just cause Microsoft gets this Activision deal. Like I said in the title this is getting old and I'm tired of seeing everyone freaking about it.

    1. BrownishMonstr

      Re: This is getting old.

      I think it will hurt Sony, and in a way it is doing so right now---they are very upset, so it's hurting them.

      On a more serious note, COD has had early releases to PlayStation, which is why Sony is not incredibly happy, as Microsoft would stop that from happening in the future.

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