Call Of Duty Going Xbox Exclusive Could Block Microsoft Activision Deal, Analyst Warns

Microsoft’s massive buyout of Activision has well and truly shook the internet. It’s by far the biggest video game acquisition in history, and it turns out that $68 billion dollars can buy you a whole lot of IPs, studios, and controversial CEOs. If the deal goes through, in theory, it also means that Microsoft could decide to make any number of their new IPs - be that Crash Bandicoot, Overwatch, or even Call of Duty - Xbox exclusives. 

Well, it turns out it might not actually be as easy as that, thanks to competition law. Basically, regulators can prohibit acquisitions and mergers they think could be a threat to market competition. So, if a deal is so good for a company that it blows everyone else out of the water, they could be in trouble, and it might not actually be able to pass. 

Since the deal isn’t actually complete yet (it’s set to be finalised by around June 2023), Microsoft has to play things carefully to make sure the acquisition isn’t prohibited, and announcing any plans to make a massive IP like Call of Duty could be a huge mistake to make, according to an analyst spoken to by GamesIndustry.biz.

The sheer size of the acquisition could also raise a few red flags for regulators, but George Jijiashvili, principal analyst for Omdia, doesn’t think it’ll be a problem. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, he said: “Microsoft has managed to avoid the levels of regulatory scrutiny which the likes of Meta currently face, but the size of this acquisition will no doubt turn heads. I expect this deal to get a good looking at, but I don't think it will blocked on anti-trust laws.”