SOC Investment Group has raised concerns over Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying that it fails to properly value the Call of Duty publisher. The firm urged other stakeholders to vote against the deal.
On April 14, SOC Investment Group published a letter to Activision Blizzard shareholders, expressing its skepticism of the upcoming merger.
SOC noted that the Microsoft deal fails to value the company and “in significant part because it ignores the role that the sexual harassment crisis.” The investors once again criticized the way Activision’s leadership has been handling the situation, which, they said, led to games delays and affected the share price.
According to the SOC, the merger won’t be viable, considering the “shift in the climate of anti-trust enforcement, as well as evident sources of potential harms to competition stemming from the merger.”
The investors want other stakeholders to reject Microsoft’s offer and elect a “new, competent, and dedicated board of directors” instead.
Activision Blizzard investors will have to vote for or against the Microsoft deal in a special meeting on April 28.
SOC Investment Group has been one of the main critics of the upcoming merger, also calling for Bobby Kotick’s resignation from his role as the company’s CEO. However, it is worth noting that this firm owns less than 1% of Activision Blizzard stock.