Microsoft has filed a response to a lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission to prevent the company from acquiring Activision Blizzard.
In a 37-page filing, Microsoft pleads its case as to why the $68.7 billion takeover should proceed — it also defends its acquisition of ZeniMax, which is owned by Bethesda, and admits it intends to develop three future titles of the company for Xbox and pc. .
The game has not been named although Microsoft initially announced that The Elder Scrolls VI would be available on their platforms, confirming that Starfield would be exclusive, according to a report from theverge.
Microsoft’s filing often goes against the FTC’s concerns, also focuses on the real struggles of regulators, and contains many of the self-harm Microsoft has known in recent months, as it tries to present itself as a weak player in the game. compared to your game. competitors.
The FTC also said in its complaint that acquiring Activision Blizzard would help Microsoft suppress competitors in the rapidly growing Xbox and cloud gaming business.
There has also been a lot of concern about the future of Call of Duty, to the point where Xbox head Phil Spencer has publicly promised that the franchise will be on PlayStation as long as PlayStation exists.
In response to the FTC, Microsoft affirms its promise to expand, not limit the availability of Activision’s game franchise by bringing it to the Nintendo Switch.
In a statement to The Verge, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also ruled out closing the deal, saying, “There is no clear, understandable reason not to close our operations.” Our industry faces intense competition and barriers to entry, we’ve seen more tools than ever before, progress to give game developers a variety of options to play, and engines and tools are available free to developers large and small.
The development of game distribution options has not yet started to spread and we believe that we will win on the merits of the case.
The direct answer came from Microsoft president Brad Smith, who said: We will stick to creative and regulatory solutions that will protect competitors, consumers and technology workers. As we have learned in previous cases, the door is not closed to agreements that benefit everyone.
