Microsoft CEO is confident that Xbox Activision Blizzard deal will go through as scrutiny moved to phase 2

Speaking about the Xbox-Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella recently stated that he was "very, very confident" that the massive deal would come through properly. His assertion comes shortly after the UK's Competition and Markets Authority announced earlier this month that they were doing a more in-depth review of the deal.

Microsoft's announcement back in January 2022 that they were acquiring Activision Blizzard, the company responsible for popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft for around $69 billion marked the biggest such deal in the gaming industry. The deal's prominent nature ensures that it will undergo a number of scrutiny checks and investigations in different countries to determine if it will actually go through.

While some market specialists have doubted whether the Xbox Activision Blizzard deal will ever come to fruition, Nadella's optimism will surely buoy the spirits of those eagerly waiting for it.

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Microsoft CEO welcomes competition and is confident that the Xbox Activision Blizzard deal will come through

Speaking to Bloomberg, Satya Nadella acknowledged that a deal of this magnitude will attract scrutiny and investigations from regulatory bodies to determine whether it hampers competition, but that they were confident that it would go through.

Nadella pointed out that Sony is the #1 player that has recently made a number of acquisitions in the video game industry, with Microsoft being at either #4 or #5. He welcomed the competition by stating:

"So, if this is about competition, let us have competition."

The highly publicized deal has drawn comments from various companies, with Sony noting the monopoly that will come with the deal as there is a chance that the Call of Duty franchise will be made exclusive to Xbox consoles. In a report submitted last month to the Brazilian government, Microsoft point-by-point denied such claims.

Although Xbox has stated multiple times that Call of Duty will not be made exclusive to their console and will be available on Sony's platform beyond the current contract, PlayStation head Jim Ryan called such assurances "inadequate."

For context, Phil Spencer had mentioned to The Verge in early September that:

"In January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements."

With these statements, Microsoft will likely try to allay the fears of any monopoly over competition in the market. It remains to be seen what the final outcome of the deal will be once the ongoing scrutiny and investigations are concluded.