Microsoft says there is "nothing unique" about Activision.
The tech giant behind the X-Box console and several video game series claimed that the "vast majority of games" are developed by companies other than Activision Blizzard and that their gaming catalogue - which features titles such as 'Call of Duty - does not offer any "must-have" items.
In a document presented to the Business Acquisitions and Authorisations Commerce Commission and obtained by TwistedVoxel, Microsoft said: "The vast majority of games are developed and published by parties other than [Activision Blizzard] such as Sony, Nintendo, EA and Take-Two. Specifically, with respect to Activision Blizzard video games, there is nothing unique about the video games developed and published by Activision Blizzard. There are no] 'must have[s]' for rival PC and console video game distributors that could give rise to a foreclosure concern.
Microsoft then claimed that "all developers" need to "continuously innovate" in order to create appealing games and explained that other companies have managed to increase the number of games released each year, with Nintendo Switch taking the lead.
The letter continued: "All developers – large or small, established or start-up – need to continuously innovate to produce games which will appeal to gamers, including by creating improved games with more advanced characteristics. As a result, the number of games released each year has been increasing, offering a greater variety of choices to gamers. In 2021, there were around 1,700 unique titles launched on Nintendo Switch, over 980 on Sony PlayStation, and around 725 on Microsoft X-Box.
