On September 18, Microsoft’s Xbox gaming chief said the company was open to further acquisitions as Microsoft hopes to turn the Xbox into a “major player” in the industry.
In an interview with CNBC, Microsoft Xbox boss Phil Spencer was asked if Microsoft intends to suspend work on acquisitions while it awaits regulatory approval to complete its $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard.
“It’s such a competitive market, I don’t think we can pause anything,” Phil Spencer responded. “Tencent is the largest gaming company in the world right now, and they continue to invest heavily in game content and game creators. Sony has a bigger business in gaming than we do today, and they continue to invest.”
“When you look at the investments we’ve made, it’s a highly competitive market,” he continued. “We strive to be a major player here. We want to provide players with great content, and we’ll remain active, whether it’s investing in our internal team that’s already making great games that people know and love, or building new partnerships relation.”
“One of the things I love about coming to Tokyo is meeting the developers, our new partnerships with Kojima Productions and others, and talking with some of our existing partners and indie creators about games we want to build,” He says.
“If a project turns into an acquisition M&A effort, we’re also actively involved. So, our work is never over. It’s a competitive market, and I want to make sure Xbox is at the forefront of innovation and competition.”
Microsoft’s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard is now under scrutiny by regulators around the world amid antitrust concerns at a time of increasing consolidation in the gaming industry.
Britain’s regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), said on Thursday that its probe into the deal had officially expanded to a deeper second stage amid some concerns.
Notably, it’s concerned that the merger could have an impact on Sony’s PlayStation’s ability to compete, as the deal would give Microsoft ownership of the Call of Duty franchise.
Sony welcomed the news, saying that Microsoft’s control of games such as Call of Duty “will have a significant negative impact on the future of gamers and the gaming industry.”
IT House was informed that in response to the UK CMA statement, Microsoft Xbox stated that “given its market-leading position in game consoles, Microsoft’s removal of Call of Duty from PlayStation makes zero commercial sense.”
Phil Spencer also told CNBC that Microsoft currently has no plans to raise the price of the Xbox console, but doesn’t rule out changing it in the future.