Microsoft announced it will make a last-ditch effort to convince European Union antitrust authorities over its $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard, the video game company that made Call of Duty, in a closed-door hearing on February 21.
According to the Reuters news agency, this US software company requested a hearing after receiving the Statement of Objections from the European Commission. The protest statement warned of the potential anti-competitive effects of the deal.
Earlier, Microsoft said it was working with lawmakers to address any concerns.
According to Microsoft, “We continue to work with the European Commission to address any market concerns. Our goal is to bring more games to more people, and this deal will further that goal.”
Britain’s antitrust watchdog said last week that Microsoft and Activision’s deal could harm gamers An in-depth review found that Xbox maker Activision’s purchase of Activision raised competition concerns about cloud and console gaming.
Similar concerns have been raised by the US Federal Trade Commission, which says Microsoft has a history of hoarding valuable game content.
However, Microsoft signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo to make Call of Duty available on Nintendo consoles, a move intended to impress rival developers.
The company also said it offered a similar deal to Sony, which is the “biggest objection” to the deal.
The company said it wanted the deal to help it compete with gaming industry leaders Tencent and PlayStation owner Sony.
Without Activision and its wide variety of games on mobile devices, consoles, and PC, Microsoft may struggle to attract users to its platform.
Last year, Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith said that buying Activision Blizzard would enable Microsoft to compete with these companies through innovations that benefit consumers.
He also noted that the company wants to offer consumers the option to subscribe to a cloud gaming service “that allows them to stream a variety of games across multiple devices at an affordable cost.”
It also allows developers to reach a much larger audience.”
