Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has chimed in on the Microsoft Activision deal, following the FTC’s loss in federal court, clearing the way for the deal to go through in the US.
As reported by Tech4Gamers, Yves had quite a lot to say from his perspective:
“I think it’s good news that the transaction can go through because it’s really showing the power of IPs and where the industry is going, so there will be lots of opportunities in the future for all the companies, and it’s also showing the value of IPs that can be now on consoles, PC, but also mobile and become more worldwide brands.
And when we say worldwide, it’s really everywhere in the world, and that’s a fantastic opportunity and Microsoft is saying that the mobile part of the Activision deal is important. So all the investment we are making to be stronger on mobile is also in line with that.
So all those elements will help the value of the company to grow.”
Yves joins quite a motley crew of surprising supporters who have emerged for the deal. While Sony made clear their opposition to the deal being allowed to go through, and the reasons they are opposed are also crystal clear, competitors are seeing something else entirely.
Other supporters have a clearer stake in the deal and wanting it to push through. Microsoft signed deals with Nintendo and Nvidia to supply Call of Duty to them and their platforms. In that way, Microsoft wont them over to their side.
However, Valve turned down receiving such a contract, stating that they had confidence in Microsoft to do the right thing for their platform Steam. True enough, Microsoft has rapidly acted to get Blizzard games onto Valve’s platform as soon as possible. Microsoft even went as far as stating that Call of Duty leaving Steam was a mistake, proving Valve was right to just let Microsoft take care of things for them.
For the record, another competitor was asked about the situation. EA CEO Andrew Wilson went on record that they are themselves indifferent to whether the deal goes through or not. For EA, they continue to see themselves as the biggest third party publisher on Xbox, and they feel secure about their business.
In any case, Sony truly was left alone as the only industry objector to the deal, and that has also ended too. All eyes are now on the two companies to finalize the deal, as we look forward to how this will change the industry as a whole.
