Microsoft Promises Openness As It Seeks Approval for Activision Deal
The Facts
Microsoft has begun a charm offensive to try and quell the concerns of antitrust regulators ahead of its proposed acquistion of video game-maker Activision Blizzard.
The $70 billion deal -- the largest in both the company's and the gaming industry's history -- would potentially give Microsoft a monopoly over the distribution of some of the most popular video games.
The Spin
Narrative A
The merger faces strong headwinds now that Lena Khan, Biden's Federal Trade Commission Chair, is cracking down on vertical mergers designed to give large companies undue power by integrating levels of the supply chain. Microsoft will have to prove that isn't the case here.
Narrative B
Microsoft is taking appropriate and proactive steps to avoid any suggestion that it's trying to amass monopoly power. The acquisition will benefit consumers by eventually allowing them to play games on any device and offering more choice.
