A new report claims Xbox was pretending it’d remove Activision Blizzard games from the UK market, in an attempt to bluff the FTC.Xbox’sdeal to acquireActivision Blizzardhasn’t experienced smooth sailing, facing constant pushbacks and blocks from various sources.Check out the first campaign mission fromCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.In the end, Microsoftwon the battle with the FTCto acquire the company, but is yet to finalise the deal due to a few loose ends.AdvertPrior to the legal battle though, it was claimed that Xbox/Microsoft wereconsidering pulling Activision Blizzard games, namelyCall Of Duty, out of the UK market following a block from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). While many shrugged it off,experts warnedit was a genuine possibility, as it’d allow the company to rush the deal through without the need for CMA’s approval.Things escalated when the FTC launched the legal battle, claiming the Xbox/Activision Blizzard deal would be harmful to competition, citing games likeStarfieldas evidence followingprotestsfromPlayStationfans who can’t play the game.Now, a new report suggests Microsoft carefully laid out a trap for the FTC, using the threat of no more Activision Blizzard games in the UK as bait.Insiders toldBloombergthat Microsoft never planned on pulling the games from the UK market at all, or finalise the deal without the CMA’s approval first. This suggests that Microsoft merely stated they were considering it to force the FTC into a legal battle before it was adequately prepared.AdvertThis tactic seemingly succeeded as the FTC was unable to prove why the acquisition would be harmful to competition in the gaming industry.Xbox has also made it abundantly clear that it hasno plansto make big-name franchises like Call Of Duty exclusive to Xbox consoles, and has evensigned an agreement with PlayStationto keep future titles on all platforms for the time being.While it seems like it’ll be smooth sailing from this point onward, fans may still have a long wait until they see the deal’s effects reflected through Xbox practices. Many are patiently waiting for Activision titles to make their way onto Xbox Game Pass, especially old Call Of Duty titles, some of which have had theirmultiplayer servers reactivated.While the future is unclear for the deal, it’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on for new developments.Featured Image Credit: Activision Blizzard, MicrosoftTopics:Activision Blizzard,Microsoft,Xbox,Activision
A new report claims Xbox was pretending it’d remove Activision Blizzard games from the UK market, in an attempt to bluff the FTC.Xbox’sdeal to acquireActivision Blizzardhasn’t experienced smooth sailing, facing constant pushbacks and blocks from various sources.Check out the first campaign mission fromCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.In the end, Microsoftwon the battle with the FTCto acquire the company, but is yet to finalise the deal due to a few loose ends.AdvertPrior to the legal battle though, it was claimed that Xbox/Microsoft wereconsidering pulling Activision Blizzard games, namelyCall Of Duty, out of the UK market following a block from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). While many shrugged it off,experts warnedit was a genuine possibility, as it’d allow the company to rush the deal through without the need for CMA’s approval.Things escalated when the FTC launched the legal battle, claiming the Xbox/Activision Blizzard deal would be harmful to competition, citing games likeStarfieldas evidence followingprotestsfromPlayStationfans who can’t play the game.Now, a new report suggests Microsoft carefully laid out a trap for the FTC, using the threat of no more Activision Blizzard games in the UK as bait.Insiders toldBloombergthat Microsoft never planned on pulling the games from the UK market at all, or finalise the deal without the CMA’s approval first. This suggests that Microsoft merely stated they were considering it to force the FTC into a legal battle before it was adequately prepared.AdvertThis tactic seemingly succeeded as the FTC was unable to prove why the acquisition would be harmful to competition in the gaming industry.Xbox has also made it abundantly clear that it hasno plansto make big-name franchises like Call Of Duty exclusive to Xbox consoles, and has evensigned an agreement with PlayStationto keep future titles on all platforms for the time being.While it seems like it’ll be smooth sailing from this point onward, fans may still have a long wait until they see the deal’s effects reflected through Xbox practices. Many are patiently waiting for Activision titles to make their way onto Xbox Game Pass, especially old Call Of Duty titles, some of which have had theirmultiplayer servers reactivated.While the future is unclear for the deal, it’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on for new developments.Featured Image Credit: Activision Blizzard, MicrosoftTopics:Activision Blizzard,Microsoft,Xbox,Activision
A new report claims Xbox was pretending it’d remove Activision Blizzard games from the UK market, in an attempt to bluff the FTC.Xbox’sdeal to acquireActivision Blizzardhasn’t experienced smooth sailing, facing constant pushbacks and blocks from various sources.Check out the first campaign mission fromCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.In the end, Microsoftwon the battle with the FTCto acquire the company, but is yet to finalise the deal due to a few loose ends.AdvertPrior to the legal battle though, it was claimed that Xbox/Microsoft wereconsidering pulling Activision Blizzard games, namelyCall Of Duty, out of the UK market following a block from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). While many shrugged it off,experts warnedit was a genuine possibility, as it’d allow the company to rush the deal through without the need for CMA’s approval.Things escalated when the FTC launched the legal battle, claiming the Xbox/Activision Blizzard deal would be harmful to competition, citing games likeStarfieldas evidence followingprotestsfromPlayStationfans who can’t play the game.Now, a new report suggests Microsoft carefully laid out a trap for the FTC, using the threat of no more Activision Blizzard games in the UK as bait.Insiders toldBloombergthat Microsoft never planned on pulling the games from the UK market at all, or finalise the deal without the CMA’s approval first. This suggests that Microsoft merely stated they were considering it to force the FTC into a legal battle before it was adequately prepared.AdvertThis tactic seemingly succeeded as the FTC was unable to prove why the acquisition would be harmful to competition in the gaming industry.Xbox has also made it abundantly clear that it hasno plansto make big-name franchises like Call Of Duty exclusive to Xbox consoles, and has evensigned an agreement with PlayStationto keep future titles on all platforms for the time being.While it seems like it’ll be smooth sailing from this point onward, fans may still have a long wait until they see the deal’s effects reflected through Xbox practices. Many are patiently waiting for Activision titles to make their way onto Xbox Game Pass, especially old Call Of Duty titles, some of which have had theirmultiplayer servers reactivated.While the future is unclear for the deal, it’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on for new developments.
A new report claims Xbox was pretending it’d remove Activision Blizzard games from the UK market, in an attempt to bluff the FTC.
Xbox’sdeal to acquireActivision Blizzardhasn’t experienced smooth sailing, facing constant pushbacks and blocks from various sources.
Check out the first campaign mission fromCall Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
In the end, Microsoftwon the battle with the FTCto acquire the company, but is yet to finalise the deal due to a few loose ends.
Advert
Advert
Prior to the legal battle though, it was claimed that Xbox/Microsoft wereconsidering pulling Activision Blizzard games, namelyCall Of Duty, out of the UK market following a block from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). While many shrugged it off,experts warnedit was a genuine possibility, as it’d allow the company to rush the deal through without the need for CMA’s approval.
Things escalated when the FTC launched the legal battle, claiming the Xbox/Activision Blizzard deal would be harmful to competition, citing games likeStarfieldas evidence followingprotestsfromPlayStationfans who can’t play the game.
Now, a new report suggests Microsoft carefully laid out a trap for the FTC, using the threat of no more Activision Blizzard games in the UK as bait.
Insiders toldBloombergthat Microsoft never planned on pulling the games from the UK market at all, or finalise the deal without the CMA’s approval first. This suggests that Microsoft merely stated they were considering it to force the FTC into a legal battle before it was adequately prepared.
Advert
Advert
This tactic seemingly succeeded as the FTC was unable to prove why the acquisition would be harmful to competition in the gaming industry.
Xbox has also made it abundantly clear that it hasno plansto make big-name franchises like Call Of Duty exclusive to Xbox consoles, and has evensigned an agreement with PlayStationto keep future titles on all platforms for the time being.
While it seems like it’ll be smooth sailing from this point onward, fans may still have a long wait until they see the deal’s effects reflected through Xbox practices. Many are patiently waiting for Activision titles to make their way onto Xbox Game Pass, especially old Call Of Duty titles, some of which have had theirmultiplayer servers reactivated.
While the future is unclear for the deal, it’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on for new developments.
Topics:Activision Blizzard,Microsoft,Xbox,Activision
