Microsoft has filed a response to a lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission to block the company’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In the 37-page filing, Microsoft defends its case as to why the $68.7 billion acquisition should proceed — it also defends its takeover of Bethesda owner ZeniMax, while admitting it intends to make three future titles from the company in exclusive to Xbox and PC.
These games have not been named although Microsoft originally announced The Elder Scrolls VI would only be available on its platforms and confirmed that Starfield would be exclusive, according to theverge’s report.
Microsoft’s presentation typically counters the FTC’s concerns, also addresses regulator-specific arguments, and contains much of the brand self-mutilation Microsoft has become notorious for in recent months, as it attempts to portray itself as a relatively weak player in the space. game compared to its competitors.
The FTC argued in its complaint that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard would allow Microsoft to suppress competitors of its Xbox game consoles, rapidly growing subscription content and cloud gaming businesses.
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 for as long as PlayStations exist.
In its response to the FTC, Microsoft cites its promise to expand, not limit the availability of Activision’s flagship series by bringing it to the Nintendo Switch.
In a statement to The Verge, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also called for the deal to be closed, saying, “There is no reasonable or legitimate reason why our transaction should not be closed.” and we’ve seen more hardware than ever before. Going forward by offering gamers a wide variety of options to play, the engines and tools are available free of charge to developers large and small.
The breadth of distribution options for games has never been greater and we believe we will prevail on the merits of the case.
A direct response came from Microsoft president Brad Smith, who said: We remain committed to creative solutions with regulators that protect competition, consumers and those working in the technology sector. And as we’ve learned from lawsuits in the past, the door is never closed to the opportunity to strike a deal that benefits everyone.
