Microsoft’s Lineup of Exclusive Games Draws Fire From Deal Foes
- US agency officials say strategy changed with $7.5 billion buy
- Company increasingly made games exclusive to its Xbox platform
Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game and Microsoft's Xbox One video game controller.
Photographer: Michael Ciaglo/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
US officials suing to stop Microsoft Corp.’s $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. argue the software giant’s recent acquisition history suggests it’s motivated to rope off blockbuster video games from competitors.
Microsoft routinely distributes its video games across multiple consoles, but with the 2020 purchase of gaming conglomerate ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion, the company placed an increased emphasis on exclusive, top tier titles.