Did Starfield just stop Microsoft’s Activision acquisition?
It seems as though the Activision Blizzard buyout has hit another roadblock, and this time, Bethesda's Starfield is getting the blame for the delay.
22nd Jun 2023 13:20
Bethesda | Blizzard
Did Starfield just stop Microsoft’s Activision acquisition?
It seems as though the Activision Blizzard buyout has hit another roadblock, and this time, Bethesda's Starfield is getting the blame for the delay.
22nd Jun 2023 13:20
Bethesda | Blizzard
Can we be done with this now, please? No matter how you feel about how good Microsoft's buyout of Activision Blizzard is (and after Microsoft's leaked anti-Sony email, it's hard to say it'd be a particularly nice time for everyone), we're all getting a little tired of it all.
It's been going on for so long and has forced gamers to learn far more about trading laws than they were prepared for. This is a long and arduous process, and though the repercussions of the sale being finalised would be massive, we're excited for it to be done on the basis of not having to hear about it anymore.
But as it turns out, there's a new roadblock in the way. There have been plenty of hurdles on the way to Microsoft owning one of the biggest publishers around, and now, it looks like Bethesda's Starfield could be the latest roadblock.
Starfield stands in the way of Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal
A new document has been revealed by the Federal Trade Commission (via IGN) and highlights its concerns that Xbox could double back on its claims to offer Activision Blizzard titles to other platforms.
"Defendants put great stock in Microsoft's concerns about 'infuriating gamers' if it were to foreclose rivals' access to Activision content… But those same concerns did not stop the ZeniMax decision," reads a section of the statement.
This indicates that the FTC feels that Microsoft's upcoming exclusivity around Starfield and the existing exclusivity of Redfall (especially as we now know that a PlayStation port was canned in development) proves that Microsoft has no problem with keeping its titles to themselves.
What does this mean for Starfield?
Ultimately, it's not likely that this will draw Microsoft to release Starfield elsewhere. Still, critics maintain that it's track record of keeping games close with ZeniMax and Bethesda doesn't exactly make the gaming giant look charitable.
Microsoft has assured us that the likes of Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation, at least for now. Elsewhere, it's tried to broker deals with Nintendo. Others are convinced it's just a quick way to streamline the deal through before pulling a massive U-turn.
The fear that Microsoft will keep a hold of the games under Activision Blizzard's banner is very real, and it seems that the FTC is catching on a little bit. When you're trying to make the world's biggest gaming acquisition of all time, the FTC isn't exactly the guys you want to p**s off.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
