Sony isn’t the only company that is nervous about Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. According to sources with Bloomberg, Google and NVIDIA are also worried about the $69 billion transaction, having recently expressed their concerns to the Federal Trade Commission, which sued to block the deal in early December. The tech giants appear to be backing the agency’s belief that Microsoft’s ownership of Activision Blizzard would give it an unfair advantage.
From a Bloomberg report (alternate link):
The companies joined Sony Group Corp. in raising issues with the transaction, which the FTC sued to block in December. The commission has argued that the deal would hinder competition in the video-game industry and has scheduled an in-house trial for August. Either company could be called to testify as part of the FTC trial.
Google and Nvidia provided information that backs a key FTC contention — that Microsoft could gain an unfair advantage in the market for cloud, subscription and mobile gaming — according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is confidential. In its remarks to the FTC, Nvidia stressed the need for equal and open access to game titles but didn’t directly oppose the acquisition, according to one of the people.
Microsoft announced its plan of acquiring Activision Blizzard on January 18, 2022. Xbox has since defended the deal by claiming it will actually expand competition and create more opportunities for both gamers (“more choice”) and developers (“better revenue”). Microsoft and Activision executives appear to remain confident that the deal will be approved.