Both Google and Nvidia have joined Sony in expressing concerns with Microsoft’s pending $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which is currently in a state of flux with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission suing to block the purchase.
A major contention of the FTC lawsuit is that Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard would give the company the “means and motive” to harm competition and gain an unfair advantage in the gaming market. Both Google and Nvidia “provided information” on this subject that sides with the companies and entities that are concerned about the ramifications of this deal, according to a report from Bloomberg.
Bloomberg also reports that while Nvidia “stressed the need for equal and open access to game titles,” it did not “directly oppose the acquisition.”
One of the major concerns for both Nvidia and Google, as noted by Bloomberg reporter Cecilia D’Anastasio, is Microsoft’s potential to offer a cloud-based streaming service with a superior games catalog. Nvidia currently operates its own streaming service in GeForce Now, but that service only allows players to stream games they already own. Google just shut down its Stadia streaming platform this month.
In a statement provided to Bloomberg, a Microsoft representative said the company has been “proactively addressing issues raised by regulators or competitors to ensure that the deal closes with confidence,” and repeated Microsoft’s claims over the past few months that it wants to increase the consumer’s access to games rather than restrict it.
An in-house trial for the FTC’s lawsuit is scheduled for August of this year.
Published: Jan 13, 2023 11:38 am