Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is, without a doubt, the most important business move in the history of video games. A huge number of licenses will become owned by xbox companywhich can raise all kinds of opinions.
And the most relevant are those of the competitors themselves. As we know, the agreement between both brands is still pending approval by regulatory bodies such as the FTC or the European Union, from Brazil they have also activated a similiar process.
As revealed from Resetera, the Brazilian government is especially transparent when it comes to showing public documents for situations like these. One of the sections shows that she has asked the companies in the sector about their vision of the purchase of Activision Blizzard, which implies the official opinion of Sony, Ubisoft or Warner Bros.
For example, in the case of PlayStation, the most contrary position to the agreement is found, since it considers that a franchise like Call of Duty requires a huge budget with thousands of employees around. Few companies worldwide could generate a similar saga and he believes that the war brand is practically a game category by itself.
Taking this into account, Sony points out that Call of Duty is especially relevant when it comes to influencing users on which console to choose. On the other hand, he has criticized that subscription services can be anti-competitive in relation to publishers recouping significant investments in games by selling them for an up-front fee. In turn, they point to a possible decline in the quality of the works.
In the case of Warner Bros., they keep a low profile in terms of their opinion on the operation, only pointing out that for now they consider that the gateway to the industry is sufficiently open. If we look towards Ubisoft, they are not alarmed about the purchase either.
The French company recognizes the rise of subscription services, with its presence in the new PS Plus, and believes that should not be distinguished as a different form of market. Going to Bandai Namco, the company points out that there are enough competitors from Call of Duty like Battlefield or Valorant, indicating that each game is unique.
At Riot Games they believe that Naughty Dog is a great competitor in the agreement between Activision Blizzard and Microsoft when it comes to creating AAA games. Once again, they mention a list of games that can compete against the most powerful franchises of the company directed by Bobby Kotick, moving away from the idea of an anti-competitive trend. In addition, they trust that Microsoft will keep its word that cross-platform franchises will maintain that status.
Looking at the technological multinationals, there are versions of all kinds. Apple remains very distant and most of the information it has provided has been hidden, while Amazon acknowledges that it does not have enough information to value the purchase.
In the case of Google, they again mention alternatives to World of Warcraft, Call of Duty either candy crush and point out that there will still be enough publishers in the industry after the purchase. Finally, Meta has been concise and like Apple, its information has been hidden.