Microsoft has already laid out the “benefits” of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying that it will be good for the entire video game industry. In addition to this, the tech giant clarified its willingness to make concessions to make the deal happen. It’s already claimed that it has offered to put Call of Duty on the PlayStation for ten years as well as on Nintendo and even Steam. It’s even come to a point that Microsoft is offering to put Call of Duty on the PlayStation Plus, to no avail. Instead of positive reception, Microsoft’s attempt to buy one of the largest video game publishers has been met with a lawsuit from the FTC and from other gamers. Now, in its defense against the FTC’s lawsuit, the tech giant’s lawyers outlined numerous issues with the lawsuit. Basically, the main point is that the proceedings “violate Microsoft’s right to procedural due process under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment” and that the FTC is no longer neutral because it has “prejudged the merits of the instant action.” The main concern of the FTC lies with Call of Duty. Activision Blizzard’s marquee first-person franchise is one of the best-selling video game properties in the world with over 425 million units sold since 2003. If you put it in that context, it’s easy to see why FTC expresses concern about giving the rights of Call of Duty to Microsoft. Because, while Microsoft might claim a single franchise “cannot upend a highly competitive industry,” the truth says otherwise. Call of Duty has topped video game charts for the better part of the past two decades. It’s already a given that a Call of Duty installment sells the most copies every year. In fact, it’s a lot more surprising if another game outsells Call of Duty, although this rarely happens. Having said that, Microsoft has made several valid points about the importance of keeping Call of Duty a multiplatform game. Call of Duty is only as big as it is because it’s also on the PlayStation. We doubt it will be as successful as an Xbox exclusive. But, of course, you can’t just invalidate the concerns raised by the FTC and other regulators. At this point, no one can predict how all of this will turn out. The only thing certain is we’ll find out more about what else Microsoft has planned for the future as it continues to release public documents to convince the powers that be it should own Activision Blizzard. For example, Microsoft has three upcoming Xbox exclusives by one of its latest acquisitions, Bethesda Softworks. Fingers crossed, one of these documents will reveal that Microsoft will host a showcase by early next year.
