Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard is a massive shift in the gaming industry that would place huge franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft under the Xbox umbrella. The continued consolidation in the industry has raised questions among the community of antitrust violations and if that could impact the deal.
GameSpot spoke with lawyer Richard Hoeg, who said these potential pitfalls are unlikely to scuttle the acquisition altogether. However, the deal will certainly attract the close attention of the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ), and regulators could request some changes that make the acquisition look different than initially planned. To start, he said, Microsoft is likely to argue that the overall gaming market is so broad that this level of consolidation doesn’t pose a risk to competition. Come from Sports betting site VPbet
