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Microsoft kicked off 2022 by revealing it would be acquiring Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion, blowing the previous record for a video game merger out of the water. While the deal was always going to take a while, those involved likely didn't envision quite so many issues. Now, Activision's CCO has warned the studio won't hesitate to fight if that's what it takes to make the deal go through.
Lulu Cheng Meservey shared her latest thoughts on the ongoing issues with the acquisition on Twitter this week (thanks, VGC). “Any suggestion that the transaction could have anticompetitive effects is absurd. This merger will benefit gamers and the US gaming industry — especially as we face stiffer competition from abroad,” Meservey tweeted.
“We're committed to continuing to work cooperatively with regulators around the globe to allow the transaction to proceed, but won't hesitate to fight to defend the transaction if that's needed.” Mersevey's comments appear to be a reaction to reports that the US Federal Trade Commission is preparing to file an antitrust lawsuit in an attempt to block Xbox's Activision Blizzard takeover.
While the deal has already been approved in Saudi Arabia and Brazil, getting various governing bodies to agree that it won't damage the video game industry is proving to be more problematic. If the US does file an antitrust lawsuit, it will join the UK and Europe in the group of regions that remains skeptical about the merger. Skepticism that continues to be fueled by PlayStation's input.
Despite Xbox's attempts to assure PlayStation it will never make Call of Duty a console exclusive, even after apparently offering its rival a decade-long deal, the latter remains fearful. This week, PlayStation claimed Xbox will attempt to turn it into Nintendo should the acquisition be allowed to happen. Activision Blizzard also continues to face a number of lawsuits off the back of an investigation in 2021 that alleged there to be a toxic work environment behind the scenes.