European Commission responds after Microsoft Activision comments from staffer receive backlash - Video Games Chronicle

The European Commission has clarified claims of perceived bias successful the probe into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal, pursuing comments from a elder unit subordinate connected societal media.

Ricardo Cardoso, the Deputy Head of Unit Interinstitutional & Outreach astatine the governing body, tweeted earlier this week that the “Commission is moving to guarantee that you volition inactive beryllium capable to play Call of Duty connected different consoles (including my Playstation)”.

The statement, portion factually in-line with the remit of the body, was met with disapproval from immoderate players implicit perceived Sony bias, particularly pursuing repeated assurance from Xbox claiming Call of Duty volition stay connected PlayStation for the foreseeable future.

Now, the European Commission has clarified successful a connection to Tweaktown that Cardoso is not progressive successful the process whatsoever.

“Mr Cardoso works successful the Director General for the Internal Market and not successful the Directorate General for Competition,” the connection reads.

“Mr Cardoso is not progressive successful the appraisal of this transaction. Furthermore, arsenic indicated intelligibly successful his Twitter profile, helium tweets successful a idiosyncratic capacity.”

On Saturday Cardoso tweeted the following: “To clarify: I americium not progressive successful the appraisal of the merger and don’t adjacent enactment successful the section dealing with mergers. As is wide from my illustration my comments are idiosyncratic and not a Commission position, whose determination volition beryllium taken connected the ground of the facts and the law.”

In the replies to the archetypal tweet, the usage of the connection “my” erstwhile referring to PlayStation seems to person irked fans the most, however, Cardoso was seemingly referring to the console helium owns, alternatively than an allegiance to a platform.

The European Commission has officially launched an in-depth probe of Microsoft’s projected acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

As expected, pursuing its archetypal inquiries into the $68.7 cardinal deal, the European watchdog said connected Tuesday that it had opened a ‘phase II’ probe owed to contention concerns.

“The Commission is acrophobic that the projected acquisition whitethorn trim contention successful the markets for the organisation of console and idiosyncratic computers (‘PCs’) video games and for PC operating systems,” it said.

While the woody has been approved by regulators successful Saudi Arabia and Brazil, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority precocious expanded its probe to a 2nd phase. It is successful the process of inviting members of the public to stock their views connected the acquisition earlier giving its last determination by March 1.

The US Federal Trade Commission could reportedly marque its ruling connected the woody this month.

Microsoft’s caput of gaming Phil Spencer precocious said helium believes dense scrutiny from regulators is “fair” and “warranted”, and that helium remains assured the woody volition beryllium approved.