Game Studios Speak Out in Support of Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Deal

gamerant.com:

Tech giant Microsoft has had an uphill battle in its attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard thus far, but new information published by the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) shows that there are a number of gaming companies that support the deal. Microsoft has endured harsh opposition from Sony with the latter company claiming that the merger would «irreparably harm competition» since it would include the massively popular Call of Duty franchise.

Microsoft has signed deals with a number of platforms promising to make Call of Duty available on them for the next ten years. While companies like Nintendo have taken up Microsoft's offer, Sony has remained steadfast in its opposition, going so far as to claim that Microsoft could purposefully release buggy versions of Call of Duty on PlayStation to harm the console's sales in the future.

Starfield Rating Reveals Mature Content and Themes

The CMA has published responses from six game studios that support the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The companies are not named, except for Dundee-based 4J Studios. The responses range from fairly positive to outright supportive, with one company simply saying that they don't believe the deal would negatively impact competition especially due to Microsoft's commitment to making Call of Duty available on all platforms, while another company goes so far as to say that Sony's concerns are «out of proportion.» Yet another response from the anonymous Market Participant E states that it's sales are stagnating on PlayStation, and that it has been able to reach a wider audience than ever on Xbox.

There was only one respondent opposing the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard; it should come as no surprise