UK regulator posts six studios’ responses to Microsoft-Activision deal, all saying it should go ahead
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has posted the opinions of six development studios who all think Microsoft‘s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard should go ahead.
Only one of the six studios who provided responses was named – 4J Studios, the Scottish developer responsible for the console versions of Minecraft.
4J’s chairman and co-founder Chris van der Kuyl noted that the studio was in the unique position of working not only as a partner of Microsoft, but also as a partner of Mojang, since before it was acquired by Microsoft.
“During that period, which lasted several years, Microsoft has honoured every element of the agreements that they inherited and also extended our relationship significantly to cover new formats, like Nintendo Switch, as well as many other content enhancements,” van der Kuyl stated.
The second studio, which remains anonymous, said: “We believe that consumers’ tastes and preferences in the video game space cut across a broad array of games and a wide variety of genres and platforms.
“As such, we do not believe that any title can be considered a ‘must have’ in the interactive entertainment market. In the context of this dynamic, and considering Microsoft’s stated commitment to make certain games available on all platforms, we do not believe the proposed transaction will negatively impact consumers.”
The third response came from the CEO of an indie developer who has “worked with most of the top game publishers including Sony, Microsoft and Activision“.
They claimed that Microsoft has always honoured its contracts and obligations in the 25 years they’ve dealt the company, and noted that Chinese company Tencent was already an investor in Activision.
“If Microsoft is prevented from
Read more on videogameschronicle.com
