Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Wants to See More Competition Between Game Publishers

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says that the company wants to see more competition between game publisher. This comes after the American tech giant’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is monitored closely by regulators around the world.

Speaking to CNBC, Nadella said, “Our entire goal is to bring more competition and more options, for both gamers to be able to play everywhere and for publishers to have more competition.”

Microsoft is already a dominating player in the PC and console gaming space. After the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company could also become a strong player in the mobile space. This is because the American game publisher has franchises such as Candy Crush and Call of Duty under its belt.

When asked about the EU probe into the acquisition, Nadella said that like all large deals, regulators should scrutinise them too.

European Commission’s probe in Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard

The European Commission recently announced that it opened an in-depth investigation to evaluate the acquisition. The EU is concerned over the deal reducing competition in distribution of console and PC games.

The investigation states that Microsoft might have the ability to foreclose titles such as from the Call of Duty series for other platforms. It could even restrict Activision Blizzard’s multi-game subscription services and cloud game streaming services. The company could do this to reduce competition from other services. This could lead to inflated prices, quality reduction and decreased innovation.