This claim is part of Microsoft’s efforts to allay fears that its merger with Activision Blizzard threatens the gaming industry by creating competition issues in the market. In doing so, Microsoft said its rivals would do just fine without Activision Blizzard’s titles and still be able to compete in a “vibrant” gaming market. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY “The vast majority of games are developed and published by parties other than [Activision Blizzard] such as Sony, Nintendo, EA and Take-Two,” the document says, which addresses concerns about industry monopolization (thanks, Twisted Voxel). “Specifically, with regard to Activision Blizzard video games, there is nothing unique about video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard,” the statement continued. “[There are no] ‘must have[s]for competing PC and console video game distributors that could raise a foreclosure concern.” through Activision That may sound like surprisingly harsh language coming from the tech giant looking to buy the studio, but it’s unlikely to refer to the quality of Activision Blizzard games. Rather, it appears to be a statement intended for regulators who may not understand the gaming market and therefore need to know that Activision Blizzard does not have a monopoly on a certain genre. But hey, it’s a pretty funny read regardless. That’s not the only point the company is making to ease concerns that the merger would give it an unfair advantage in the industry. Microsoft also claims that the gaming industry has “low barriers to entry”, meaning that “content will remain available for distribution to competing PC, console and mobile distributors”. It looks increasingly likely that Microsoft will soon get the regulatory approval it needs to move forward with the merger. As we recently reported, the deal could receive the go-ahead from US regulators as soon as August – potentially just weeks away. It depends on whether or not companies are required to submit further evidence to regulators. If not, the deal can go ahead. Next: Bobby Kotick should have been forced out of the gaming industry years ago
