The purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has been one of the biggest news so far this year. Personally, I had some doubts about the ease with which the Redmond giant could end up taking the cat to the water, and after seeing this new information that leaves us from Reuters it is clear that my doubts were not without foundation.
Said acquisition continues, but has been subject to the supervision of the FTC, the Federal Trade Commission of the United States, which will be in charge of investigating all the keys of the same that may affect, directly or indirectly, to free competition. This is important and at the same time understandable since, in the end, the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft would place the Redmond giant as the third most important company in the world of video games.
Obvious to say that the bigger a company is, the more attention it attracts of the regulatory bodies and entities that are dedicated to ensuring the free market and free competition. Giants like Alphabet and Meta are, without a doubt, the best example of what we have just said, since they have been subject to inspections of this type on more than one occasion, and they have not always come out well.
Going back to the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, when the company announced this operation, it was quite confident that it would be able to overcome, without problems, any possible legal hurdle that might arise along the way. It is evident that the fact that the FTC is going to be in charge of supervising said operation does not imply, directly, that it will not come to fruition, but it does imply that It is possible that certain conditions “sine qua non” will end up being establishedthat is, mandatory conditions so that the purchase can be authorized.
On the other hand, we must not forget that the purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is a positive move for both companies, and that they will do everything possible so that it can come to fruition. It is not difficult to understand, Activision Blizzard is not going through its best moment due to the scandals that the company has been dragging for some time, and the departure of its CEO, essential to calm the situation, is only contemplated if said purchase is executed by from Microsoft. This, for its part, would take some of the most important franchises in the sector, and could incorporate them into Game Pass, which would make this service much more attractive.
