The European Federation of Video Games attended the hearing held on February 20, before the European Commission, in relation to the purchase agreement for Activision Blizzard. The event, which lasted several hours, ended with hits such as the arrival of Activision Blizzard titles to Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Call of Duty to Nintendo; movements with which Microsoft secured the support of both companies in its defense, leaving Sony practically alone. Not only the companies participated in the hearing, but also the Federation itself, which did not miss the moment to remember that the agreement is very beneficial for competition and platforms in Europe.
In its official statement, the Federation states that the video game market has changed, in such a way that the European Commission must change its perspective of assessing competition in the sector. Again, remember that Tencent has not stopped investing in distributors and developers in recent years, so it is crucial that European developers and distributors have a strong representative to defend their interests in the global market.
Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, defended the purchase in the last hearing before Brussels.
The European Federation of Video Games wants the European Commission to shield the purchase of Activision Blizzard:
In addition, the Federation took the opportunity to remind the Commission that the future is multiplatform. On the one hand, because the developers are constantly working for some platforms and others, adapting and moving in these changes. On the other hand, because smartphones have reached the capacity of laptops and consoles, on many occasions. As a consequence, genres that were traditionally reserved for consoles or PCs are now on systems like the Microsoft Store (covering consoles, PCs, and mobiles) or Google Play (mobiles and PCs). Through its support, Microsoft will allow small developers to access its store, in competition with those of Google or Apple.
The President of Microsoft clarifies the agreement with Nintendo after the confusion generated
we are xbox.com
Finally, the Federation has recalled that the future is uncertain. What makes sense in finance today may not tomorrow. And for this reason, Microsoft’s commitments must be supported and reinforced.
“The European Federation of Video Games supports the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoftt, since its potential repercussions on the competition of the video game market will exceed the problems caused by the limitation of consoles and the subscription of specific sectors, “we can read in the statement.