Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks out against exclusive games in Activision Blizzard takeover

Microsoft is currently in a strenuous legal battle with regulators for its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. One of the biggest concerns for regulators across the UK and the US has been the harm to the competition.

However, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has come out and voiced his opinion surrounding the court battle. Nadella said that if the deal goes through, Microsoft will continue to offer all users access to Activision Blizzard games.

What Nadella thinks about Exclusive Games?

Speaking during a court hearing, Nadella said that it doesn't make sense for Microsoft to limit Activision Blizzard games to Xbox. During his 45-minute-long testimony, Nadella explained how the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) primary concern of exclusivity made no sense.

Satya Nadella said that his goal was to get Activision Blizzard titles on as many platforms as possible. He further went on to blame Sony for defining the market and competition in the console gaming space.

He said, "If it was up to me, I would love to get rid of the entire exclusives on consoles, but that's not for me to define especially as a low share player in the console market. The dominant player there [Sony] has defined market competition using exclusives, so that's the world we live in. I have no love for that world."

Regulator's primary cause for concern

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also made similar remarks, ensuring the regulators that Call of Duty would remain on Sony's PlayStation platform. Kotick said. "We've always said that we are a multiplatform company and we'd be available on every platform."

However, James Ryan, the head of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has come out and criticised the deal saying it was "bad for competition". Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the biggest of its kind in the industry and has already gone through in several countries.

The deal was even greenlit by the European Union. However, regulators in the UK blocked the acquisition in April, arguing that it would hurt competition in cloud gaming. In the US, the FTC argue that users with Nintendo and Sony PlayStation consoles could be hung out to dry if the deal falls through.

Source