Microsoft Activision deal receives approval in Brazil – UK and US still to decide
Brazil’s regulatory body has decided that an Xbox only Call Of Duty won’t give Microsoft any significant advantages.
To some, it may seem like a done deal, but it’s still entirely possible for Microsoft’s £50 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard to be blocked. Something Wall Street at one point was betting will happen.
The deal is being scrutinised by regulators worldwide to ensure it doesn’t violate antitrust laws.
Fortunately for Microsoft, it’s passed one hurdle and has received approval from Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defence (CADE).
Ultimately, the CADE has concluded that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and its franchises (Call Of Duty being chief among them) won’t provide the company any unfair advantages against its competitors.
Sony has previously argued that Call Of Duty is so popular that it becoming an Xbox exclusive would see PlayStation customers abandon the platform in favour of Xbox.
However, the CADE has countered that, in such a situation, it’s just as likely that PlayStation users will be loyal enough to instead give up Call Of Duty and migrate to other games.
‘Considering the huge popularity of Call Of Duty, it is reasonable to infer that if Activision Blizzard games were no longer available on Sony consoles, PlayStation users could decide to migrate to Xbox, or even a PC, to continue having access to franchise games,’ reads the publicly available summary (via Google Translate).
‘On the other hand, it’s also reasonable to assume that if upcoming Call Of Duty games became exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, players loyal to the PlayStation brand could simply abandon the series, migrating their demand to other games available on their favourite console.’
The CADE adds that
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