FINAL OFFENSIVE IN CALL OF DUTY BATTLE
MICROSOFT has stepped up efforts to persuade regulators to give its £57bn takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard the green light.
The US software giant, which owns the XBox games console, has made fresh commitments to the European Union as it seeks to allay competition fears.
Regulators around the world – including in the UK – are concerned that rivals could be denied access to Activision games such as Call Of Duty if the deal goes through.
The Competition and Markets Authority last month suggested Microsoft may need to sell Call Of Duty to see the takeover go through. Microsoft president Brad Smith has insisted that would be a deal-breaker.
But he has pledged to offer rivals such as Nintendo and Playstation owner Sony access to games, including Call Of Duty.
And this week Microsoft sent its final commitments to Brussels, saying: ‘We have stood behind our promise to bring Call Of Duty to more gamers on more devices by entering into agreements to bring the game to the Nintendo console and cloud game streaming services.’