Tag: microsoft activision deal

What challenges does Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision deal face?
14Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

What challenges does Microsoft’s $69 billion Activision deal face?

[ad_1] The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday asked an appeals court to temporarily stop Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard, hours after a federal judge rejected a similar request.The deal is facing varying responses around the world from regulators. WHAT IS THE ACTIVISION DEAL?Microsoft announced the Activision bid in January last year to boost its firepower in the booming videogaming market, take on leaders Tencent and Sony, and lay the base for its investment in metaverse and digital spaces which are made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). To quell antitrust concerns Microsoft, which owns Xbox, in February said it is ready to offer rivals licensing deals but it would not to sell Activision's lucr...
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Playstation 6 and Next-Gen Xbox expected to debut in 2028, reveal Court documents
26Jun By adminNo Comments
Technology

Playstation 6 and Next-Gen Xbox expected to debut in 2028, reveal Court documents

[ad_1] Sony's Playstation consoles have garnered a significant fanbase in India, with gamers appreciating their impressive gaming capabilities. While the Playstation 5 (PS5) remains a popular choice among gamers, recent findings from court documents accessed by IGN suggest that the next generation of Playstation and Xbox consoles may make their debut as early as 2028.In a legal case regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a US court, the tech giant stated its expectation for the official release of the next generation gaming consoles in 2028. This projection indicates that successors to the current generation, including the PS5 and Xbox X and S, could potentially arrive after an eight-year interval. The information regarding the upcoming consoles was revealed in docu...
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Microsoft Says Even Rival Sony Had No Concern Over Activision Deal
24Jun By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft Says Even Rival Sony Had No Concern Over Activision Deal

[ad_1] Microsoft Corp. began its court fight with the Federal Trade Commission over the $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. by saying that even an executive at rival Sony Corp. had acknowledged the deal wasn't “an exclusivity play” to hurt the PlayStation gaming console.The FTC wants to block the transaction while its legal challenge is pending, and the two sides are arguing the case at a five-day court hearing that began Thursday in San Francisco. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox console, is defending the blockbuster deal, which would catapult it to the No. 3 position in the global games market after Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Sony. During opening statements, Microsoft attorney Beth Wilkinson sought to counter the FTC's claim that the deal would hurt competition by reading the ...
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EU backs Microsoft buying Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. But the $69B deal is still at risk
16May By adminNo Comments
Technology

EU backs Microsoft buying Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. But the $69B deal is still at risk

[ad_1] The European Union on Monday approved British regulators have rejected it and U.S. authorities are trying to thwart it.The acquisition, sweetened by Microsoft's promises to automatically license Activision games to cloud gaming platforms, “would no longer raise competition concerns and would ultimately unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers,” said the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm and top antitrust watchdog. The commission's approval “has removed one potential major roadblock for this deal” but “it doesn't necessarily mean they're in a stronger position” to overturn the U.K.'s rejection, said Liam Deane, a game industry analyst for tech research and advisory firm Omdia. The all-cash deal announced more than a year ago has been scrutini...
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Activision’s CEO Calls UK Decision to Block $69 Billion Microsoft Deal ‘Irrational’
28Apr By adminNo Comments
Technology

Activision’s CEO Calls UK Decision to Block $69 Billion Microsoft Deal ‘Irrational’

[ad_1] Activision Blizzard Inc. Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick called UK regulators' decision to block Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion acquisition of his company “irrational” and predicted the deal will ultimately win approval.In a Bloomberg Television interview, Kotick didn't say whether the companies would extend their purchase agreement beyond a July deadline. The pair are preparing their response to the UK decision, he said, adding, “I think the appeals process will work in our favor.” On Wednesday, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority decided the deal would give Microsoft an unfair leg up in cloud gaming, which involves streaming video games from data centers to a broad range of devices. Microsoft wouldn't have enough incentive to put Activision games like Call of Duty, O...
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Microsoft-Activision deal: What is ‘cloud gaming’?
28Apr By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft-Activision deal: What is ‘cloud gaming’?

[ad_1] Technology firms have long dreamt of shifting gamers away from cumbersome consoles and physical purchases to subscriptions and virtual access -- essentially a Netflix for video games.However, on Wednesday the UK's antitrust regulator blocked Microsoft's purchase of Activision largely because it had the potential to kill competition in the still developing "cloud gaming" sector. - How does cloud gaming work? For decades, the console has been king. Sony's PlayStation, Microsoft's Xbox and various Nintendo units have dominated.Millions have also enjoyed gaming on their PCs.But the arrival of superfast broadband has allowed companies to experiment with new ways of delivering and monetising games.Rather than buying games and storing information on their personal consoles and PCs, game...
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Microsoft-Activision deal: Key things to know
27Apr By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft-Activision deal: Key things to know

[ad_1] Microsoft on Wednesday faced its biggest challenge yet in its effort to buy US video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard, with the decision by the UK to block the deal.The transaction, which was expected to be finalized this year, would beef up Microsoft's muscle in the booming gaming market while playing to its strengths in software and cloud computing. Here are key things to know about the blockbuster transaction: - Video game titans -Buying Activision, the maker of "Call of Duty" and "Candy Crush", would make Microsoft the third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.China-based Tencent is the biggest player in terms of revenue, dominating the Asian market and investing in game studios across the world.The firm owns Riot Games, maker of battle royale hit "L...
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Microsoft’s bid to buy games giant faces triple anti-trust threat
17Apr By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft’s bid to buy games giant faces triple anti-trust threat

[ad_1] Depending on which side you're on, tech giant Microsoft is either the hero fighting to bring some of the most popular video games to more people, or the villain on the brink of killing competition in the sector.The Xbox-owner has embarked on a campaign to convince all three EU, UK and US regulators to back its $69 billion bid to take over Activision Blizzard, owner of hit games "Candy Crush" and "Call Of Duty". The effort to create the world's third largest gaming company by revenue was launched last year but the company must now address concerns from all three regulators that if it takes control of such market-leading games it could stifle competition. Sony, which produces the bestselling PlayStation console, says the deal will give Microsoft the power to limit rivals' access to...
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Explainer-How Microsoft is addressing antitrust concerns over Activision deal
23Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Explainer-How Microsoft is addressing antitrust concerns over Activision deal

[ad_1] Microsoft has thrown the gauntlet down over antitrust criticisms, saying on Tuesday it is ready to offer rivals licensing deals in exchange for regulatory approval of its $69 billion deal to purchase video game publisher Activision, but it would not to sell the latter's lucrative "Call of Duty" franchise. WHAT IS THE ACTIVISION DEAL? Microsoft announced the Activision bid in January last year, its biggest ever, to boost its firepower in the booming videogaming market and take on leaders Tencent and Sony, and lay the base for its investment in metaverse, digital spaces which are made more lifelike by the use of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). WHAT DO ANTITRUST REGULATORS SAY? In December, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asked a judge to block the d...
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Microsoft Wins Nvidia Support for Embattled Activision Deal
22Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

Microsoft Wins Nvidia Support for Embattled Activision Deal

[ad_1] Microsoft Corp. announced an agreement to bring its games to Nvidia Corp.'s GeForce Now service, part of efforts to show that the industry will remain competitive if it's allowed to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc. in a $69 billion deal. Microsoft President Brad Smith disclosed the Nvidia accord after meeting with European Union officials in Brussels on Tuesday. The partnership “resolves Nvidia's concerns” about the merger, the companies said in a joint statement. “Nvidia therefore is offering its full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition,” they said. The software giant is fighting to save the embattled deal, which faces regulatory hurdles at home and abroad. While Europe reviews the transaction, the US Federal Trade Commission has already sued to block it. ...
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