Why Microsoft’s purchase of Call of Duty developer Activision is such a big deal – and why PlayStation doesn’t want it
Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Microsoft said that the deal would “accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse”, and its chief executive Satya Nadella said it was “investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all”. Sony doesn’t want that for obvious reasons: it will mean people buying Xboxes rather than PlayStations, and signing up to Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service rather than PlayStation Plus. “Players everywhere love Activision Blizzard games, and we believe the creative teams have their best work in front of them,” said Phil Spencer, chief executive of Microsoft Gaming, when the deal was announced. It announced in preliminary findings last month that it believes the deal could hurt gamers by stifling competition in both cloud and console gaming, harming players “who cannot afford expensive consoles” and the problems caused by “weakening the important rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles”.
Microsoft defeats gamers' bid to block $69 billion Activision deal in U.S. court
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