New report from MLex, with statements from Microsoft's top competition lawyer, Rima Alaily:

- She says that concerns about Big Tech companies expanding their "ecosystems" through acquisitions need to be "disciplined and rigorous".

- She urged antitrust regulators not to "demonize the very idea of an ecosystem," so long as it does not harm consumers.

- She gave the example of Microsoft's Windows PC operating system. Windows provides "an opportunity for thousands of developers, of businesses, of hardware suppliers to build around that and create new businesses, new technologies and drive growth. Most of the value of the ecosystem goes to these third parties, not to Microsoft, she said.

- She hoped such theories would not be used "in a blunt way to prevent large technology companies from expanding their business and entering new markets, just because they are large." She believes that sometimes large tech companies are "best placed to challenge the incumbent" on a market, and can be capable of driving competition and innovation. Challenging that may mean consumers could lose out on the benefits.

- She also said that authorities ought to be "measured and thoughtful" and try to understand whether there is a "mechanism for harm" such as tying or self-preferencing or the "leveraging" of one market to benefit another.

This is coming from this podcast, Jammin Digital, where Rima Alaily was interviewed. It’s 30 minutes long, so there has to be more.

Source: Idas

Quite the PR blitz lately...

A lot of these things are dependent on what the devs want.

You can edit the actual source code for the unreal engine. There's no limit to what you can actually do. It's just a question of what kind of effort you're willing to put into it. 

A lot of times features aren't put in, not because they're hard to do, but because other things get favored. Game developers are already often spending 6+ years working on just a game. Sometimes adding new features in, means cutting other features.

I haven't played Xcom, but I see some people insist that it's easy to mod and that's Unreal Engine.

It is true about Windows OS. Just in the gaming industry, games are made on Engines that run almost entirely on Windows. Linux certainly comes in as well, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's 90% or more on Windows. That includes games on Nintendo and PlayStation consoles. Steam, Epic Games Store, Origin, etc. would not exist if it wasn't for Windows. And Steam is even considered the monopoly on PC gaming storefronts lol.

MS provided the tools that allowed the gaming industry to rise as much as it did. Competitors like Apple were minimal to nonexistent because that just wasn't the target business.

I'm going to be late to the party.  It finally came back in stock today.  

That can't be true. I was told purchasing ABK would make Xbox a monopoly.  

Very cool to see Thom and Rose actually getting acknowledged especially Rose.

I see that Kotick also talked with the Financial Times and shots were fired 😬

About the CMA:

The CMA "seem like they've been co-opted by the FTC ideology, and [are] not really using independent thought, or thinking about how this transaction would positively impact the UK", Kotick said. He contrasted this with the EU, where he said regulators had shown "a lot more insight and recognition of what the risks are in the economy from a macro perspective".

About UK Government:

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak is "smart" and "understands business", Kotick said. But "it doesn't seem like there is any real vision in the leadership for pursuing these kinds of opportunities", he said, adding: "It seems like a bit of a fragile government. Where's the leadership?" "If I look at our hiring plans, we're more likely to find the next 3,000 to 5,000 people that we need in the UK than almost any other country," Kotick said.

About Sony:

"Suddenly, Sony's entire leadership team stopped talking to anyone at Microsoft," Kotick said, adding that his own calls to Sony's chief and other executives were not returned. "I think this is all Sony just trying to sabotage the transaction," Kotick said. "The whole idea that we are not going to support a PlayStation or that Microsoft would not support the PlayStation, it is absurd."

In response to a request for comment, Sony said: "We are in contact with Microsoft and have no further comment regarding our private negotiations."

About the Future of the Deal and the FTC:

Kotick was optimistic the Microsoft acquisition would close by July 2023.

In its fight with the FTC, Kotick noted that Microsoft had hired Beth Wilkinson, a Washington-based lawyer who was hired by the commission in 2012 to lead a probe into Google. "She feels like if she is going to have to litigate against the FTC, she will absolutely crush them."

Source: Idas

Yeah, I'm convinced now with these interviews that have came out lately, that UK is blocking this, especially with how blunt these comments are from Activision towards the UK specifically. I'd be very shocked if CMA's Preliminary isn't either an outright block or structural remedies which are basically the same thing to Microsoft.

"It seems like a bit of a fragile government. Where's the leadership?" - Kotick not familiar with Tories, Lol.

I had a bad feeling from the moment it was known this would come entirely down to the UK. Once the FTC objected, there was a very strong chance that the UK would as well because following USA is kind of our speciality. Once it came down to the UK to do the right thing, my doubts were high, we haven't been doing the right thing since 2010 and most of the UK doesn't work as it should lately

It's ironic that EU's EC who has long been seen as the regulatory body who constantly goes after corporations, more than any other (and I would say for good reasons, despite Americans protests, Lol) is the one who seems the most open to this deal while FTC has gone full blown political and UK's CMA is desperate to make a name for itself in the post-Brexit world.

Reason #1,000 why Brexit sucks

The "easiest" way to have this deal go through would be to have ABK as a totally separate entity from Microsoft (even if MS is the sole shareholder of the entity), with Bobby as CEO and MS only having dividends, and being dealt with as any other manufacturer. But that's not what MS wants, nor ABK.