Activision Blizzard's year of news appearances is almost unbelievable, but perhaps none more so than the announcement that Microsoft and Xbox is purchasing them for just under $70 BILLION in cash. With Phil Spencer and Satya Nadella already out in force, Microsoft now moves to more formal PR mechanisms, introducing a long form promise to be the "good guys" as described by Microsoft President Brad Smith through the company's "issues" blog. But what does it mean to assure Call of Duty's continued presence on PlayStation? And does the company really expect credit for self-serving promises already made? It's always good when a multi-national, multi-trillion dollar company pledges to *follow the law*, but we question whether it really deserves a cookie...in Virtual Legality. #Activision #Microsoft #Antitrust *** WANT TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL? PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/VirtualLegality STREAMLABS - https://streamlabs.com/richardhoeg STORE - https://teespring.com/stores/hoeg-law-store SEASONED GAMING BITCAST - SUNDAYS AT 11:00 EASTERN https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgHBXONMT06nX_8RZ5r32UA *** CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:22 Answering the Call of Duty 03:50 An Epic Callback 07:02 PR Promises 15:38 Principles and Principals 25:37 Laws in the Pipeline 28:46 Answering the Call Part 2 32:25 Xboxes and Double Standards 38:37 Conclusion *** Discussed in this episode: "Microsoft x Activision" Hoeg Law Playlist    • Microsoft x Activision   An Antitrust Epic Hoeg Law Playlist    • An Antitrust Epic   HOEG LAW VIDEOS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4-vxNc3H3Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G82ZnoHQ3NA TWEETS https://twitter.com/XboxP3/status/1484273335139651585 DOCUMENTS/ARTICLES https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/02/09/open-app-store-principles-activision-blizzard/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/10/08/app-store-fairness-caf-interoperability-principles/ https://app.box.com/s/6b9wmjvr582c95uzma1136exumk6p989/file/807135002509 https://appfairness.org/ https://www.theverge.com/22914479/open-app-markets-act-legislation-senate-committee-markup-explained https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2021/07/15/the-nintendo-switch-oled-estimated-to-cost-only-10-more-per-unit-to-make/ *** "Virtual Legality" is a continuing series discussing the law, video games, software, and everything digital, hosted by Richard Hoeg, of the Hoeg Law Business Law Firm (Hoeg Law). CHECK OUT THE REST OF VIRTUAL LEGALITY HERE:    • Virtual Legality   DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS LEGAL ADVICE. INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN THE LEGAL TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR OWN COUNSEL. *** Twitter: @hoeglaw Web: hoeglaw.com *** DESIGN WORK Joe Ellis (Logo Design) Chris Leroux (Motion Graphics) For more information: contact Chris at @Chrisleroux on Twitter. PODCAST VERSIONS ALSO AVAILABLE