Competition and Markets Authority isn't buying promises of equal access to Call of Duty
"Buying one of the world's most important game publishers would reinforce this strong position and substantially reduce the competition that Microsoft would otherwise face in the cloud gaming market in the UK," the CMA said."This could alter the future of gaming, potentially harming UK gamers, particularly those who cannot afford or do not want to buy an expensive gaming console or gaming PC."and other games available to its competitors.
She noted that"equal access" means"10 years of parity. On content. On pricing. On features. On quality. On playability."Despite Microsoft's promises of parity, the CMA said it is concerned that competition in the gaming market will take a hit.
"The CMA's provisional findings note that this strategy, of buying gaming studios and making their content exclusive to Microsoft's platforms, has been used by Microsoft following several previous acquisitions of games studios," the agency said. Keeping the competition strong between Microsoft and Sony is important, the CMA said, noting that in 2022, about £5 billion was spent on gaming in the UK, with gamers spending most of that money on a few of the most popular games, including
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