Microsoft CEO brushes off antitrust concerns around Activision deal: "Even post this acquisition, we will be number three"

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Microsoft doesn't want to make any formal concessions to get approval for its Activision deal

Xbox Game Studios Activision Blizzard
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella brushed off antitrust concerns around the company's acquisition of Activision, citing Xbox's relatively small share of the gaming market.

In a recent interview with Financial Times, Nadella suggested that Microsoft shouldn't face any obstacles in its path to regulatory approval because it's still too small to be considered anti-competitive. Specifically, Nadella notes that Microsoft would only be ranked third in market share behind industry leaders PlayStation and Tencent after the deal.

"At the end of the day, all the analysis here has to be done through a lens of: 'what's the category we're talking about, and market structure?'" he said. "Even post this acquisition, we will be number three with sort of low-teens share [of the gaming market]... We will be a bit player in what will be a highly fragmented place."

In a break from tradition, the FTC will reportedly be stepping in to review Microsoft's Activision deal. 

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.