CMA poll reveals UK consumers mostly in favour of Microsoft acquiring Activision

While the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) was conducting its initial investigation into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, the floor was opened up for the public to send in comments about the deal. The results of those comments have now been revealed, with around 75 percent of respondents being in favour of the deal. 

There were around 2,600 emails sent to the CMA during this stage, but 500 of those emails were thrown out as some emails were blank, others contained abusive content and others were from non-UK consumers or weren't written in English. The final batch of around 2100 emails were then analysed to get a broad sense of why some approve the deal and others do not.

In the document (via GI.biz), the CMA outlines the reasons UK consumers were either for or against the deal:

For the deal –

• Sony and Nintendo are stronger than Microsoft in console gaming, and the Merger will help Microsoft to compete more closely against them
• Microsoft would not make Activision's content exclusive to Xbox post-Merger because it would lose significant potential revenue from rival platforms
• The Merger is a reaction to Sony's business model for PlayStation, which has historically involved securing exclusive content or early access to popular cross-platform gaming franchises, such as Final Fantasy and Silent Hill
• The Merger will allow Microsoft to provide Activision with better guidance and leadership, and to encourage it to invest more in games other than Call of Duty

Against the deal –

• The Merger would lead to consolidation and would set a harmful precedent in the gaming industry of acquiring large publishers rather than encouraging organic growth
• Microsoft will make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox, just as it did with Bethesda after it acquired ZeniMax Media
• Microsoft can capture the multi-game subscription market after the Merger because it can afford to add games to Game Pass at a loss
• Microsoft is already dominant in cloud gaming, and the Merger could affect the future of new entrants into that space

While some doubt Microsoft's promise to keep Call of Duty multiplatform, the majority of respondents feel that the company will stay true to its word, in part due to the fact that it is a multiplayer game with cross-platform capabilities. The majority also see Call of Duty on Game Pass as a win for consumers, while others are concerned that Microsoft's ability to add major titles to its subscription service will harm competition.

The CMA is still conducting its investigation into the deal, and Microsoft is also still working with the EU Commission to get the deal approved too. Over in the US, the FTC has filed a lawsuit in an effort to block the deal, but both Microsoft and Activision spokespeople have confirmed they intend to fight for the merger and won't back down from the FTC's legal challenge.

KitGuru Says: Do you think Microsoft should be allowed to acquire Activision? 

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