The Commerce Commission has granted clearance for Microsoft Corporation to acquire 100% of the common stock of Activision Blizzard.Microsoft and Activision are video game developers, publishers, and distributors for personal computers (PC), gaming consoles, and mobile platforms. In addition, Microsoft produces and sells the Xbox range of video-game consoles, PC hardware, and peripherals and offers cloud computing services.In reaching its decision, the Commission focused on the importance of Activision games (such as Call of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft) to New Zealand gamers, and whether Microsoft would be likely to stop rivals like Sony and NVIDIA from offering those games on consoles and cloud platforms.Commission Chair Dr John Small said the Commission was satisfied that the merger is unlikely to lessen competition in any New Zealand market substantially.“While Activision games, in particular Call of Duty, are popular with New Zealand gamers, our enquiries did not find that they are likely to be ‘must have’ in order to compete with Microsoft in New Zealand.”
A Microsoft spokesperson commented “We appreciate the thoughtful consideration by the New Zealand Commerce Commission of our acquisition of Activision Blizzard and welcome its decision to clear the deal unconditionally. This acquisition will ultimately benefit the gaming industry and gamers and we will continue to work toward closing the deal.”
