Microsofts Lineup of Exclusive Games Draws Fire From Deal Foes
Summary
US officials suing to stop Microsoft Corp.s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. argue the software giants recent acquisition history suggests its motivated to rope off blockbuster video games from competitors. As the Federal Trade Commission seeks in court to block the Activision merger, the agency pointed to the ZeniMax deal to poke holes in Microsofts assertion that the acquisition will be good for the industry and question its intention to make more games available on multiple platforms. Starting with the ZeniMax purchase, Microsoft made Redfall, Indiana Jones and the role-playing game Starfield exclusive to its Xbox and Windows platforms, marking a potentially new strategy, according to FTC officials. While Sony and Nintendo have historically released their own titles exclusively on their own consoles, Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer has criticized the walled-garden approach for years. In a video deposition played in court, Sony gaming chief James “Jim” Ryan testified that in competition just between the two companies, PlayStations market share in the US is 55%.