Activision Blizzard's proposed buyout is defended by Microsoft CEO

 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has spoken out in support of his company's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, claiming that it will increase rather than decrease competition in the gaming industry.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Nadella stated that Microsoft is attempting to acquire Activision Blizzard in order to compete more effectively with larger market players such as Sony and Tencent.

"Being a No. 4 player trying to add some content and create more opportunities for more publishers, more gamers to enjoy—I mean, if you believe in competition, you should believe in this deal," he told The Wall Street Journal. "I'm hoping that the competition authorities become more focused on competition, and that would be a good day."

In the United States, Microsoft is facing a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission, which is attempting to halt the transaction. Microsoft stated that it tried to make peace but is now prepared to defend itself in court. Meanwhile, the European Union is reportedly preparing to issue an antitrust warning regarding the proposed sale.

Microsoft has stated that if its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved, it will not remove Call of Duty from PlayStation consoles. According to Microsoft, making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox would be a "disastrous" business decision.

The mobile gaming market is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors of gaming, and Microsoft does not currently have a strong presence in the space, which is why Microsoft is pursuing its Activision Blizzard acquisition so aggressively.

At the World Economic Forum, Nadella also stated that Microsoft will try to incorporate AI systems into all of its products in the future, presumably including Xbox. "Every Microsoft product will have some of the same AI capabilities to completely transform the product," said Nadella.

Microsoft is expected to announce a $10 billion investment in the startup OpenAI, which has sparked a lot of discussion and buzz with its ChatGPT product.