Brazilian Regulator Approves Microsoft's Activision-Blizzard Acquisition

ign.com:

Brazil’s competition watchdog, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has approved the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger without restriction, citing PlayStation’s already dominant position within the video game industry and Nintendo’s ability to compete without relying on franchises such as Call of Duty.

In a long public filing, CADE touched on PlayStation’s portfolio of exclusives, saying, “Investment in exclusive content is, and always has been, very important for the competitive dynamics in the console segment. Exclusive content was, most likely, one of the main factors responsible for positioning the PlayStation as a leader in the world console market for more than two decades, a leadership that continues to this day.”

CADE also mentions that Nintendo employs a similar strategy with exclusive content while noting that Microsoft doesn’t seem to sell as many consoles as PlayStation and Nintendo either. Of course, one of the biggest concerns about Microsoft’s acquisition is the multiplatform status of Call of Duty.

“As already seen, Nintendo does not currently rely on any content from Activision Blizzard to compete in the market,” CADE explains. “In turn, Sony has several attributes - strength of the world's leading brand for more than 20 years, extensive experience in the sector, largest user base, largest install base of consoles, robust catalog of exclusive games, partnerships with multiple publishers, third-party, brand loyal consumers, etc. – which should contribute to maintaining the competitiveness of PlayStation in a possible post-Operation scenario, even in the face of possible loss of access to Activision Blizzard content.”

The watchdog says that it's certainly possible that if Call of Duty