Photo Credit: Louis-Philippe Poitras/ Unsplash 263t4w
Microsoft will require approval from three big regulatory bodies to complete Activision Blizzard buy-out
Xbox One sold less than half of the PS4 throughout its lifetime, Microsoft has confirmed. Court documents from the ongoing Microsoft-CADE trial have revealed details on how well the Xbox One units sold. The company currently acquiring Activision Blizzard has refused to release console sales information since 2015, instead focusing on Xbox Live numbers. “Sony has sured Microsoft in of console sales and installed base, having sold more than twice as many Xbox in the last generation,” its Microsoft, as translated from Portuguese by The Verge.
The Microsoft eventually shifted focus to games as well.
While Microsoft stopped reporting sales numbers by 2016, PlayStation 2.
The last recorded sale numbers for Activision Blizzard is currently being scrutinised by regulators globally. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the deal is “massive,” and could not only have an impact on the buyer, but the entire games industry, including indie developers, businesses, and consumers.
“Regulatory bodies exist to try and make sure such deals don't result in any antitrust issues, where one company can become overly dominant, or competition is harmed in such a way that it could lead to fewer choices, higher prices and/or less innovation,” it reads.
Microsoft will require approval from three big regulatory bodies to complete the buy-out. First, the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission) — its review process has begun and entered phase two. Second is the UK's CMA (Competition and Markets Authority), which is currently in the first phase of review and is expected to end in early September. The third and final main regulator standing between Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the European Commission — the process has not started yet.
The CMA had previously Xbox Game . The UK regulator was concerned about the ease of access features that allow s to easily sign up for a service, but never details the specifics of a cancellation process. This obscure detailing leads to cases where a customer entirely forgets about the subscription, but continues getting charged for the service without realising it.
Microsoft was directed to all their existing customers on recurring 12-month contracts, and give them the option to cancel it and claim a proportional refund. Inactive subscribers will be ed as well, and reminded of how to stop payments. Furthermore, any price hikes were also to be notified clearly.
For the latest reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.