Today the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) issued a decision on the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The organization, which is reviewing the deal for antitrust violations in the US market, has decided to block the deal, according to its official press release.
According to the FTC, they concluded that Microsoft, after purchasing Activision Blizzard, will use the advantages gained over competitors, in particular, by making games exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. In its statement, the FTC builds on Microsoft’s previous behavior, stating that following the purchase of Bethesda, the company announced plans to make Starfield and Redfall Xbox exclusives:
As Microsoft’s previous actions show, it can prevent content from being released on competing platforms in the gaming industry. Today, we’re trying to stop Microsoft from taking over a leading independent gaming company to exploit by disrupting competition in several fast-growing gaming markets at once.
The Commission notes that Microsoft’s claims that it has no plans to make Call of Duty an Xbox platform exclusive is no guarantee that it will not do so.
