I am not saying they are equivalent in scale, but unless the buy makes Microsoft an unstoppable force, this is just competition.
Say you and I were getting into a drag race. And you come with an engine twice as powerful as mine. While that doesn't guarantee you win, it does give you a 99% chance of winning. Unless you somehow miss the green light. The FTC, CMA is there for this exact reason. To stop companies from becoming an unstoppable force. It's not something you ignore until it happens, it's something you focus on to make sure it doesn't happen.
And while this deal alone will not make that happen, but there is a clear precedent. They just acquired Bethesda, and then less than 12 months later, are in for ABK. If that is not enough to get your ears up? then think of this... in the industry, MS is competing in... Xbox, compared to its rivals, Playstation and Nintendo... get this... that $85B attempted net spend, in a 12month window, is more money than Sony and Nintendo has made from total gaming-related revenue... in 2 years...
COMBINED.
Still think its just competition?
The head of PlayStation has documented that this acquisition does not put Sony in a bad position.
That is not what he said. Not even in the slightest. If he felt it doesn't put them in a bad position, why are they against it?
He said he has nothing against Starfeid being exclusive... that is not the same as saying he has no problem with the acquisitions MS are making or trying to make.
And again... this is not about the head of PlayStation, this is about Phil lying. Do you not understand that?