Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II records, the EU investigation and the future of the video game

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One billion dollars in the first ten days of launch. For the Call of Duty series it is an absolute record. This number would be enough to describe the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Let’s talk about one of the best Call of Duty in history thanks to a finally fun single player campaign. And a multiplayer sector with many new features that certainly not everyone will like but make the title less obvious. Wanting to be picky the developer Infinity Ward may not make the best Modern Warfare but his games are a notch above the other titles in the series. It will be interesting to understand what will happen next year when (and if) the Microsoft-Activision acquisition is concluded.

Yes, because the European Commission has launched an in-depth investigation to evaluate the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, under the EU merger regulation. The Commission, the European executive announced, “fears that the proposed acquisition could reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of video games for consoles and personal computers and operating systems for PCs”. “In particular, the Commission fears that, by acquiring Activision Blizzard, Microsoft may reduce access to Activision Blizzard console and PC video games, especially high-profile and highly successful ones (so-called “AAA” games) ».

The preliminary investigation suggests that Microsoft may have the ability, as well as a potential economic incentive to implement foreclosure strategies against rival console video game distributors, for example by preventing these companies from distributing Activision Blizzard’s console video games or by degrading the terms and conditions of use or access to such video games ”, reads the note from Palazzo Berlaymont. The proposed acquisition was notified in Brussels on 30 September last. The Commission now has 90 working days to make a decision, which is by 23 March 2023.

Why the EU doubts

The doubts of the EU are also those of the American antitrust. Call of Duty is one of Activision-Blizzard’s most successful titles and one of the feared risks is for example that in the future gamer users will be faced with de facto monopolies in the gaming world. To date, Playstation is the actor with the highest market share in the console sector. Microsoft’s offer, however, expands on the PC and aims through a model of distribution of the video game in streaming (and in download) and a form of purchase through the subscription to change the business rules of a market that is slowly abandoning the stores. to become fully digital.

The role of digital platforms in entertainment.