Microsoft has been making headlines recently with its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The $68.7 billion deal would give Microsoft access to popular franchises such as Call of Duty, however it isn’t as simple as it looks.
In fact, the proposed acquisition has been met with scrutiny from regulators who are concerned about the potential impact on competition within the video game industry. In an effort to address these concerns, Microsoft has been making concessions to its competitors, including promises to keep popular franchises such as Call of Duty multi-platform.
While this move is certainly a step in the right direction, there are still concerns about the potential for Microsoft to use its newfound power to limit competition and stifle innovation within the industry.
The Idea of COD Being Multi-Platform and Starfield an Exclusive
Some experts have pointed out that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard would give the company control over some of the most popular video game franchises in the world, which could make it difficult for other companies to compete.
Despite these concerns, Microsoft has been promising regulators that Call of Duty will continue to be available on multiple platforms in order to clear the way for its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
At the same time, the company has been insisting that Bethesda‘s Starfield will be an Xboxexclusive. However, if we look at the core, and crux of all this, to be fair, there are legitimate reasons why Starfield is exclusive and Call of Duty isn’t, but again, it seems as if Microsoft doesn’t have a proper approach.
To clear the confusion, Phil Spencer, CEO of Xbox stated in the Xbox On interview that making Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive would pull the game away from millions of people on other platforms, however, with Starfield, Microsoft isn’t “pulling something away.” He said:
I never said Starfield wouldn’t be exclusive to Xbox. I think what I said is we’re going to take it on a case-by-case basis. We’re not going to pull games that are on other platforms. […] Exclusive titles in the console space is part of the business. All platform-holders do it. They are marketing beats for the platform. Our competitors have a lot of exclusive games.
So, when we’re launching new games, there are certain games that we’re going to make… ‘exclusive’ for us is always a little bit hard, because we ship everything on PC as well, but let’s just say, ship on Xbox, PC, and playable on cloud, and some of those won’t be available on other competitive platforms.
There’s no example in Bethesda of us pulling something away from the PlayStation community, that they had. Or of games people are playing, us not continuing to update those. Same thing with Minecraft, Minecraft Dungeons, and we’ll do the same thing with [Minecraft] Legends when it comes out.”
– Phil Spencer, CEO Xbox
Overall, Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has the potential to shake up the video game industry. While the company’s promises to keep Call of Duty multi-platform are certainly a step in the right direction, there are still concerns about the potential impact on competition and innovation within the industry.
As Microsoft continues to work towards regulatory approval, it will be interesting to see how it addresses these concerns and what impact the acquisition will ultimately have on the gaming world.
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