Acquisition Activision Blizzard, Google and NVIDIA also have their say: “games don’t become exclusive”

Google and Nvidia have joined Sony’s concerns over Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

According to anonymous sources, reported by Bloomberg, Google and Nvidia notified the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of their position, arguing that Microsoft could gain an unfair advantage in the cloud, subscription and mobile gaming sectors if the acquisition was approved.

From NVIDIA comes a milder position than those expressed by other players in the sector. The company has specified that it is not against the acquisition itself, as long as fair and open access to games such as Call of Duty is guaranteed. The FTC will hold a hearing in August to discuss the acquisition and Google, Nvidia or Sony may be called to testify.

According to well-informed sources, the acquisition could proceed under certain conditions, starting with the obligation for Microsoft to keep access to games open for at least a decade.

According to well-informed sources, the acquisition could proceed under certain conditions, starting with the obligation for Microsoft to keep access to games open for at least a decade. In short, the flagship properties of Activision Blizzard’s current line-up could not become Xbox exclusives before an extremely large amount of time. Microsoft has already expressed its willingness to do so and has made no secret of seeing potential in the acquisition that goes far beyond the simple acquisition of IP such as CoD. The real gold mine is the smartphone gaming market.

Call of Duty is the game that most worries Microsoft’s competitors due to its popularity, but Activision Blizzard also owns many other popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, StarCraft, Hearthstone, Diablo, Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga and still others.

• Google, Nvidia raise concerns over Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition (neowin.net)