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Microsoft may soon score a big win. CMA retracts its stance on the deal
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The UK Competition Markets Authority is beginning to believe that Microsoft will be forced to make Call of Duty available on PlayStation platforms following its acquisition of Activision.
According to a report published by Gamesradar today, Friday, March 24, the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) has released a new preliminary finding on its position on the Activision acquisition deal, after updating its previous findings. While the CMA was previously uninterested in the acquisition due to its negative impact on competition, it now appears to have changed its stance.
Overall, according to the statement, the deal will not significantly reduce competition in terms of console gaming in the UK, and Microsoft will have nothing to gain financially by restricting Call of Duty to a single gaming platform, referring to the removal of the title from all PlayStation platforms.
In other words, according to the CMA statement, Microsoft will not be able to reap the profits that could keep the title going at its current strength if it only makes the game available on its own platforms and removes it from PlayStation.
Perhaps these expectations are correct, especially since statistics have confirmed that the majority of the Call of Duty series' profits come from PlayStation platforms.
In any case, this would be a dangerous move not in favor of Sony and the PlayStation brand, which took too long to intercept the conclusion of the deal and thwarted it in various ways.
We may see a new ruling on the UK Competition Markets Authority's position on the Activision acquisition. If this step is successful, Microsoft will have achieved significant success and a significant milestone in its acquisition journey.
It remains to be seen what the authority's position will be on the idea of offering the Call of Duty game via Game Pass for free, which will put Sony in an awkward position by forcing players to purchase the game at full price in order to access it on PlayStation platforms.
Earlier this month, in a filing with the CMA, Microsoft said offering Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms for the next 10 years will give Sony enough time to create a new competitive title.
For its part, Sony stated in its latest comments to the CMA that its experience developing first-person shooters and battle royale games is limited, according to its description. And that Call of Duty is a game they cannot compete with, due to its strong position among players and markets, as well as its development costs.
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