Microsoft and Activision BLIZZARD issued new statements on September 1, local time about Microsoft’s acquisition policy of Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft announced on January 18 this year that it has agreed between the acquisition of Activision Blizzard at the largest game industry of $ 68.7 billion (about 9.6 trillion yen, current rate). Since it will be a huge acquisition of a major industry manufacturer under the umbrella, regulatory authorities in each country are currently underway about whether there is a risk of violating the anti-trade law (antitrust law), and it is currently underway to complete the acquisition. It is necessary to wait for the examination.

In this statement, Phil Spencer, who led the Xbox business in Microsoft’s game category CEO, commented on the meaning of regulators and gamers, including regulators and gamers, since the announcement of Activision Blizzard in January this year. He said that the biggest reason was for players. In addition to the console, the world’s largest game market, Mobile, the world’s largest game market, to bring choices to players and developers, to create new opportunities and innovations, and the industry will develop.

One of the options was the Subscription Service Xbox/PC Game Pass. The service is also available for mobile gaming, Xbox Cloud Gaming. The subscription service has said that players around the world can deliver the game at an affordable price, and that the developers can deliver more players.

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD has popular works such as CALL OF DUTY, Overwatch and Diablo, aiming to expand Xbox/PC Game Pass with them and expand the communities of each work. There was. SPENCER also said that the same version will be released on the PlayStation platform from the release date (even after the acquisition is completed) for works such as the Call of Duty series. This policy has been expressed earlier and mentioned again.

At the end of the statement, SPENCER commented that it would respond to regulatory authorities with transparency. He also pointed out that companies that lead in industries such as Tencent and Sony continue to expand their deep and wide game libraries while incorporating other entertainment brands and works series. With the prospect of being enjoyed by players around the world, it would be revealed through examination that Microsoft and Activision Blizzard would be useful for the industry and players.

Activation Blizzard, on the other hand, has released a message sent by CEO Bobby Kotick to employees. He commented that the merger with Microsoft would take time due to the large number of regulatory authorities. In the game industry, the world’s largest IT and media companies are actively investing in the game industry, and regulatory authorities are cautious and appropriate to deepen their understanding of market competition. He explained that he was stepping on.

However, the procedures with the authorities are proceeding as expected, saying that in June 2023, the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year, the acquisition procedure is likely to be completed. He said he would hold a town hall meeting from September this year to explain the progress to the employees.

Kotick also mentioned the status of judging in the UK, which has the second largest employee after North America. He stated that he had been informed that he had been informed that he had entered the second stage of judging from a local regulatory authorities.

In the UK, mentioned by Bobby Kotick of Activision Blizzard, Competition and Markets Authority, CMA, has made a statement at the same time. CMA pointed out that Microsoft has been leading the game market for the past 20 years with Sony and Nintendo, and has been limited to new rival companies in the market. He also said that if Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, which has worldwide popular works such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, he is concerned about the possibility of damage to rival companies. In other words, there is concern that such works will be refused to provide to other companies or provided under bad conditions.

CMA also said that it has gained evidence of potential effects when Activision Blizzard was integrated into Microsoft ecosystem. Microsoft has major platforms in each field, such as Xbox, Azure, and Windows, and all of them are important factors for success in the cloud game market. Microsoft, which has strengths on these platforms, is concerned that it will hinder competition in the cloud game market with Activision Blizzard works. Therefore, he said he would conduct the second stage screening and ask the two companies to respond to these concerns.

This time, Microsoft announced the content that has been explained to regulatory authorities. Among them, the purpose of the acquisition was to increase the options of gamers and developers, including mobile. In addition, the first statement to Xbox/PC GAME PASS of Activision Blizzard works is also clear. He said at least the Call of Duty series would continue to be provided on the PlayStation platform. This is the only point that rival companies in the game market are emphasized that competition in the market is not the purpose of the acquisition. These contents seem to be the answer to the concerns of British CMA.