A group of ten gamers has filed a complaint against Microsoft’s acquisition of game giant Activision Blizzard.
The ten, who describe themselves as video game enthusiasts in the complaint, use an antitrust law from 1914. The Clayton Act allows Americans to start lawsuits against companies that distort competition.
In the complaint, they report that they are concerned about the merger between tech giant Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s largest game companies. If the deal goes through, prosecutors argue, Microsoft would have unprecedented power over the gaming market.
With the complaint, ten gamers join a list of regulators worldwide who have expressed concern about the deal or launched an investigation.
In addition to PC operating systems, Microsoft also builds a game console, the Xbox, and already has several gaming titles under its umbrella. Think, for example, of Minecraft, Halo and Flight Simulator. In addition, Activision Blizzard is now one of the larger video game publishers, with Call of Duty and World of Warcraft in its portfolio, among others.
The fear is that players on other consoles, such as the PlayStation, will be disadvantaged by this acquisition. Microsoft, for its part, has already promised that Cal of Duty will be released on other platforms for at least ten years.
