Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned in making its proposed acquisition of Call of Duty publisher Activision a reality. However, it seems like the obstacles won’t stop popping up in front of them, no matter what.
A recent report from a renowned media outlet reveals that Microsoft had reached out to the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in order to propose an offer regarding Call of Duty on rival platforms. However, it’s been claimed that FTC rejected this offer while making the President of Microsoft extremely disappointed.
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Microsoft says that FTC rejected its consent decree on Call of Duty games, reveals report
Dina Bass, a Tech reporter from Bloomberg recently published an article on the situation of Microsoft and their efforts of trying to seal the deal with Activision. In her report, she mentioned that the Xbox maker had offered the FTC that “it would sign a legally binding consent decree saying it would make” future Call of Duty entries “available to rivals for a decade. It didn’t help.”
Microsoft President Brad Smith says the company offered the FTC that it would sign a legally binding consent decree saying it would make CoD available to rivals for a decade. It didn't help. Story to come.
— Dina Bass (@dinabass) December 13, 2022
Furthermore, she added that the rejection made Microsoft President Brad Smith highly upset as the FTC didn’t give them “the opportunity to even sit down with the staff to even talk about” their proposal to find a proper solution, eventually. According to the Bloomberg reporter, Mr. Smith revealed this information at the company’s shareholder meeting.
“I’m disappointed that the FTC didn’t give us the opportunity to even sit down with the staff to even talk about our proposal to even see if there was a solution there," Smith said at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting.
— Dina Bass (@dinabass) December 13, 2022
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The fresh update connects directly with another report about Microsoft getting sued by US FTC. It’s been revealed that the agency sued the company after it rejected the consent decree on Call of Duty games’ availability on rival platforms, including Sony’s PlayStation devices.
Now it looks like Xbox chief Phil Spencer will have to put more efforts in order to provide assurance to Sony on CoD and its future. Because the PlayStation giant is perhaps the only industry leader who’s opposing the $68.7 billion merger of Microsoft and Activision. If Sony agrees, then the FTC may also change its stance on this situation going forward.
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