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For months now, Microsoft has sworn up and down that it has no interest in making Call of Duty exclusive to the Xbox if and when its proposed $69 billion Activision acquisition is approved. But as the FTC's request for an injunction stopping that acquisition heads toward opening arguments this week, the federal regulator cites one piece of what it calls "powerful evidence" that it can't trust Microsoft's assurances. In short, as the FTC puts it, "Microsoft's actions following its 2021 acquisition of ZeniMax speak louder than Defendants' words."
[...]
Rather than focusing on what it calls a "strained analogy" to ZeniMax, Microsoft would prefer the court look at Microsoft's purchase of Minecraft-maker Mojang, which has continued to publish the game on a variety of platforms after becoming part of Microsoft. This is a better analogy for Call of Duty, Microsoft writes, because Minecraft was similarly "an existing, multi-player, cross-platform franchise like COD."
[...]
Call of Duty is unlike Minecraft, the FTC argues, in part because Minecraft is available in largely the same form on mobile phones, tablets, and the Switch. "Even if Microsoft took Minecraft off of rival consoles and subscription and cloud gaming services, it would still be available for play on many other devices. The context for Call of Duty is very different."Regardless, the FTC also argues that this manufactured categorization doesn't matter, because Microsoft's exclusivity decision applied to "all future ZeniMax games." While Microsoft said in 2021 that "some" future Bethesda games would be Xbox exclusives, no Bethesda non-exclusives have been announced since then.
Previously:
US Moves to Block Microsoft's Activision Takeover - 20230613
Microsoft and Activision Will Miss Their Contractual Merger Deadline - 20230115
FTC Moves to Block Microsoft's Activision Acquisition - 20221209
The Biggest Deal in Gaming is Under Fire From U.S. Senators - 20220403
Related:
Microsoft Acquires ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks for $7.5 Billion - 20200921
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Barenflimski on Monday June 26 2023, @09:57AM (3 children)
It is mind blowing to me that when it comes to anything Microsoft related, that Call of Duty could hold any of this up.
Microsoft tracks everything. Microsoft adds ads to just about everything. Microsoft's 'dark patterns' are ubiquitous.*
All I can come up with in my little brain is, "Microsoft can harvest data down to my location and sell it to people, but the FTC cares about Call of Duty being available to kids on as many platforms as possible?" Lets be clear. This is a game where you will be called the N word within 60 minutes of logging on and playing. In that 60 minutes, you'll likely be berated in 20 other ways that would get any kid suspended from school. Just a couple of days ago, an entire group of adults wouldn't play with me on their team because I was white and they expressed, in very colorful language, how much they hated white people.
I can't stand the corporate ethos of Microsoft OR Activision, but for sake of humanity, the FTC is upset about Call of Duty?
*Dark Patterns - Log onto MSN.com, and they randomly show you a RED notification that insinuates you have mail. It seems to be a randint(6). Windows 11... Install NOW! I've accidentally started the windows 11 update twice. One time, the only way to get around their menus was to reboot before I had to choose. Read an article on MSN.com on your phone, and some randint(8) times, you get a prompt about how you can't read the article on their site, but have to install their app. Clear cookies, click link again its readable.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 26 2023, @11:54AM
Reddit does this. Sometimes when you click to expand a comment thread, you get a warning window saying something about "may contain adult content (language)" and the only choices you're presented are "Take Me Home" and "Download Reddit App." I had this happen to me yesterday.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 26 2023, @12:19PM
Well...the FTC is part of the government, and the government loves its recruiting tools. Gotta have an endless stream of wannabe soldiers for the next war they're going to get us into...
(Score: 2) by GloomMower on Monday June 26 2023, @02:28PM
I mean, this is specifically about Microsoft buying activision, not the other stuff, so of course they are looking at games.