CWA Urges The FTC To Scrutinize Microsoft's Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard
It has been revealed that the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and 14 other influential organizations have sent a letter to the FTC urging leadership to closely scrutinize Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, claiming that the move could potentially damage the industry and be bad for workers and consumers alike.
The letter in question has been signed by a number of different organizations from different sectors including consumer, labor, privacy, and right-to-repair groups. The most serious effects these groups claim could transpire should the Activision Blizzard merger go ahead are “worker disempowerment and wage suppression” as well as a threat to “data privacy and security.”
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Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has raised concerns more than other mergers likely due to its scale. There are very real worries to be had over the consolidation of the games industry at this point, with companies like Tencent, Sony, and Microsoft, buying up talent. The Activision Blizzard deal raised eyebrows at the FTC as the agency has promised to review the merger to ensure the deal doesn’t pose a threat to consumers in the long term.
In fact, this isn’t the first time the CWA has urged the FTC to think closely about whether consumers and workers would be affected by the deal. Earlier this year, the CWA raised similar concerns about the workers of Activision Blizzard, reminding the FTC that Activision Blizzard has a history of “hiring notorious union busters.”
If you’re wondering why the CWA has such a vested interest in Activision Blizzard, those in the know will recognize that the union is the same one that is currently partnering with workers at Activision
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