Microsoft meets with the European Commission over the purchase of Activision Blizzard

The president of MicrosoftBrad Smith, met this Tuesday with the European Comission in an attempt to get him to authorize the purchase of the firm Activision Blizzard, which Brussels is investigating for fear that it will reduce competition in the market for video games, consoles and computers.

Brussels fears that if Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard -Creator of successful video games such as “Warcraft”, “Diablo”, “Overwatch” and “Call of Duty”along with mobile games like Candy Crush”- prevent its use on the consoles of your competitors, Sony’s PalyStation and Nintendo’s Switch.

To convince regulators – also in the United States and the United Kingdom – Smith today signed a ten-year agreement to bring his Xbox video games to Nintendo users, including ‘Call of Duty’.

He also signed a similar one for ten years with NVIDIA to offer him the video games for his Xbox console and his computers.

Microsoft, however, hasn’t been able to get Sony to sign the similar deal for the Play Station that it offered in December.

The company that owns Windows believes that the purchase of Activision Blizzard does not pose a competition problem for Sony because in 2002 it had an 80% market share in the European Economic Area, compared to 20% for Microsoft’s Xbox.

In addition, Microsoft argues that the PlayStation quintuples the games of the Xbox.

“If Sony doesn’t like the words of the contract, we are prepared to sit down with them”assured Smith in a press conference after meeting with the Commission.

For its part, a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard stated that “Microsoft is doing exactly what it said it would do” while “Sony continues to deny the opportunity for a long-term contract and is undermining the deal to protect its two-decade domination of video games.”

smith showed himself “More optimistic” on the possibilities of obtaining authorization to acquire Activision Blizzard, “Not because of what happened at the hearing” with the European Commission, which also included Sony and Nintendo, among other market players, “But because of these two agreements (with Nintendo and NVIDIA).

Microsoft, which already has a significant presence in the world of video games with its Xbox console and titles such as “Minecraft”, would become the third largest company in the sector in terms of turnover, only surpassed by the Chinese Tencent and the Japanese Sony .

Brazil, Chile, Saudi Arabia and Serbia have already approved the purchase of Activision Blizzard.

The purchase is valued at $69 million.

Source: EFE