The Brazilian competition authority (CADE), despite Sony’s earlier claims that the Call of Duty franchise is irreplaceable in the shooter genre and that Xbox exclusivity may very well affect console purchases, has now allowed the translation without any conditions or concessions. Given that the Brazilian authority is one of the more scrutinised authorities, this is pretty interesting. The authority noted that it is not their responsibility to defend Sony’s or PlayStation’s position or interests in the market in addition to authorising the agreement. Brazil’s statement also cites their belief that the market wouldn’t become less competitive even if Microsoft made the Call of Duty or Activision libraries Xbox-exclusive. The CADE decision goes on to say that it thinks exclusive material has been “very important” for the industry’s rivalry and a key component in PlayStation and Nintendo’s leadership positions. It is also important to emphasize that the main objective of CADE’s actions is the protection of competition as a means to promote the welfare of the Brazilian consumer, and not the defense of particular interests of specific competitors.” -Translated version of the statement Regulators from around the world are currently reviewing the proposed $68.7 billion acquisition because of antitrust concerns at a time when the gaming sector is consolidating more and more. It would be interesting to watch how the other major authorities will treat the merger now that Brazil has given its clearance.
