According to reports, Activision Blizzard stated in a statement to GamesIndustry that Sony is “doing everything in its power to stop Microsoft from acquiring this gaming giant” in order to “protect its dominant position in the electronic gaming industry for the past twenty years.”
“The mission of the European Commission is to protect European consumers, not global market leaders,” Activision Blizzard wrote in the statement. “Sony is trying to undermine this goal in order to protect its dominant position in the electronic gaming industry for the past 20 years. We believe that regulatory authorities will find that our proposed merger will strengthen competition, create more opportunities for employees, create better games for our players.”
The statement was made after closed-door hearings held in Brussels by the European Union and national antitrust officials. Microsoft attempted to persuade regulatory authorities to approve its acquisition of Activision Blizzard during the hearing. Activision Blizzard, Google, Nvidia, other related parties, and gaming experts were also present at the hearing.
Microsoft announced a 10-year agreement with chip manufacturer Nvidia to bring Xbox games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.
Microsoft also stated that it has signed a similar agreement with Nintendo, confirming a commitment it made at the end of last year.
