It's one thing to hear arguments from the acquirer (MSFT), or their closest rival (Sony).
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
It's another thing to hear from third-party independent publishers who have said similar things.
The second paragraph of the CMA report is extremely interesting.
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
It's also something that we've been saying all along: Microsoft will lose a lot of money if it takes Call of Duty from PlayStation. pic.twitter.com/XLPuYPINxE
Microsoft has repeatedly said it will treat Call of Duty like Minecraft. This would make sense if COD were closer to Minecraft--the two are very different.
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
Semantics aside, CMA notes that, as per Microsoft, looking too far into the future produces speculation and uncertainty. pic.twitter.com/lwarOt7QwJ
The Microsoft-Activision merger isn't really about exclusivity. It's about expansion.
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
The specter of exclusivity should have always been investigated, but the main goal here is to use ABK to reinforce the multi-platform ecosystem of products and services that Xbox has become.
CMA now provisionally determines that Microsoft would not be able to carry out partial foreclosure strategies using Call of Duty. pic.twitter.com/BO2OzNi74Q
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
CMA provides more clarity on foreclose strategies, saying that the partial foreclose strategies "fall short" of total foreclosure. pic.twitter.com/qOVmUfVpUG
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
CMA's rationale to block the merger hinges on the effects of exclusivity.
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
Now Microsoft just has to sway regulators with proof that it won't make Call of Duty or other Activision-Blizzard titles exclusive to its cloud gaming service.
I think Microsoft will be happy to oblige.
Based on provided data, CMA created models to estimate how much money Microsoft would gain or loss if it made Call of Duty exclusive.
— Derek Strickland (@DeekeTweak) March 24, 2023
CMA measured a five-year period, and a one-year period that also included data from SIE. pic.twitter.com/py4d4rU8Ur
Essay Pro