In what appears to be its latest attempt at convincing regulators, Microsoft is running full-page advertisements in UK newspapers about the Activision Blizzard deal. The tech giant has been actively campaigning for its pending $68.7 billion acquisition as the likes of the FTC and the UK's CMA cast regulatory concerns over the acquisition. Now it looks like Microsoft isn't leaving anything out when it comes to pushing for the deal to go through.
The ongoing case for Microsoft's Activision purchase has been a hot topic over the past few months, most notably since the regulators continue to raise concerns. But it's not just regulators, as rivals have also been increasingly vocal against the pending deal with the likes of Sony pointing to Microsoft's potential monopolistic situation with the Call of Duty franchise. In an effort to raise confidence within the industry, Microsoft signed 10-year deals with Nvidia along with Nintendo, where the tech giant will expand its library of games to the respective platforms. However, a more recent update suggests that Microsoft has extended its efforts to offline mediums as well.
The Xbox maker was seen running full-page advertisements in the Financial Times and the Daily Mail newspapers at a time when the CMA looks at Sony's concerns about Microsoft potentially pulling Call of Duty from PlayStation consoles. Unsurprisingly, the advert highlights the franchise with Microsoft claiming that part of the commitment post-Activision acquisition is to bring Call of Duty to 150 million more players. The 150 million in question refers to the company's recent agreements with Nvidia and Nintendo. It remains to be seen how far this will turn things in the tech giant's favor, but it's clear that getting the Call of Duty IP under its umbrella is a prime focus for the company in 2023.
The full-page ads come shortly after Sony publicly raised concerns over the future of Call of Duty's quality on PlayStation should Microsoft purchase Activision. Sony alleges that the Xbox maker could actively sabotage future entries on PlayStation and degrade the quality of the games. Citing a hypothetical situation, the company further states that this could come in the form of bugs and glitches in the final level of a game that players would only come across well past the initial launch phase.
While technically possible, it's unlikely Microsoft would consciously sabotage a massive live-service franchise like Call of Duty, as the move would undoubtedly generate more backlash for the company than anything else. Either way, it would be interesting to see how Microsoft responds as its battle with Sony continues to take the spotlight. As of now, it's expected that the EU may approve the Activision acquisition, and the Xbox maker will hope that the CMA will follow suit.
Source: The Verge