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Indie game developer cohort supports Microsoft ABK acquisition

Collective says that the deal would make Game Pass more successful which would benefit independent studios

A collection of indie game makers are in favor of Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard.

As reported by Axios, the comments were part of briefs filed last week to the Ninth District Circuit of Appeals in California in the FTC's lawsuit against Microsoft.

The developer cohort includes Curve Games, Finji, Iam8bit, and Strange Scaffold.

They said that the acquisition would eventually lead to Call of Duty games being added to Game Pass, which would help the subscription service perform better and benefit indie developers on the market.

"The more subscribers to Game Pass there are, the more opportunities for those subscribers to try indie games that they otherwise might not have played. And the more those indie games are played on Game Pass, the more likely they are to be played elsewhere too." Said the collective.

Regarding performance on Microsoft's subscription service, the brief said that Iam8bit's Escape Academy pulled in 1.5 million users. Meanwhile, Curve Games' Human Fall Flat title drew in 14.2 million players via the Game Pass service.

You can follow the many regulatory hurdles Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have faced in our extensive primer.

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Jeffrey Rousseau avatar
Jeffrey Rousseau: Jeffrey joined GamesIndustry.biz in March 2021. Based in Florida, his work focused on the intersectionality of games and media. He enjoys reading, podcasts, staying informed, and learning how people are tackling issues.
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