Microsoftis beset by yet another batch of concerns over its pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but this time, they’re coming from none other than Google and Nvidia, two massively influential tech giants. Ever since the acquisition was announced early in 2022, certain companies have been suspicious of its effect on the gaming industry and beyond, but all directly affected parties have remained resolute.
In fact,Microsofthas only doubled down in its efforts over the past couple of months. With Bethesda already under its wing, the company behind Windows OS, Bing, and Xbox is intent on pushing the deal through, which would serve as a further underlining of its importance in the gaming industry, specifically.
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According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Google and Nvidia have expressed concerns over Microsoft’s biggest gaming acquisition yet. Sources claim that Nvidia stressed the “need for equal and open access to game titles,” but it’s worth pointing out that its representative didn’t outright oppose the acquisition. Nvidia’s worries were shared by Google, with the two companies apprehensive about Microsoft potentially gaining an unfair advantage in the cloud, mobile gaming, and subscription niches, thoughMicrosoft claims it doesn’t understand the acquisition concernsin a broader sense.
Despite this attempt at obtuseness,Microsoft has admitted its mistake in accusing the FTCof violating the Constitution. The main opponent of the acquisition has been Sony from the very start, and it’s not hard to see why this would be the case. Namely, Sony and Microsoft have engaged in a proverbial tug of war via their respective PlayStation and Xbox consoles for a long while now, and turning major companies like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard into first-party studios could have an immense effect on the market balance between them.
While Sony, Nvidia, Google, the FTC, and a number of other companies and governing bodies have expressed their concerns over the deal, Brazil, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, andChile have approved Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzardalready, and it is expected that a number of other countries will follow suit. Nothing is certain at this time, of course, and as more and more parties provide their insight into the deal, the more complicated the whole ordeal becomes.
Microsoft isn’t putting all its eggs in just one basket, however.Xbox fans can expect big things in 2023, with games likeRedfall,Starfield, andForza Motorsportall slated to launch sometime during the year. At the same time, Sony won’t be twiddling its thumbs either, and it’s likely to ramp up its PC efforts over the course of the year as well.
