“There is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard that are a ‘must’ for competing PC and console video game distributors to raise a foreclosure concern,” the company says in the filing. In other words, Microsoft believes that owning the rights to Activision Blizzard’s best-selling franchises like Call of Duty won’t stop rivals like Sony from competing against it. On the face of it, that seems like a silly argument for a company that Microsoft plans to spend $68.7 billion to acquire. Still, it’s a claim the tech giant is making in response to its rivals. In a filing with Brazilian regulators, Sony called Call of Duty “an essential game” and a AAA title “unrivaled.” He argues that the franchise is so popular that it affects the consoles people buy. Sony is probably speaking from experience. In 2015, the company announced a deal with Activision that saw some Call of Duty content arrive on PlayStation consoles first. Downplaying the importance of Call of Duty is just one of the ways Microsoft has tried to appease regulators. In February, the company pledged to continue making the franchise available on PlayStation consoles following the end of the deals Sony and Activision had made before the acquisition was announced. Most recently, the company announced a labor neutrality agreement with the Communications Workers of America, which organizes video game workers across the industry. All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
