British officials will launch a thorough investigation into the acquisition deal between Activision Blizzard and Microsoft.
In the process of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressed its concern in early September. A more thorough investigation was recommended because the acquisition of games such as Call of Duty could harm competitor Sony.
Microsoft was given 5 days to address the concerns. However, according to the Financial Times, this did not happen. It is believed that Microsoft realized that it could not make any promises that the CMA would have accepted.
So a more thorough investigation should begin early this week. According to sources in the Financial Times, a similar situation has been reported with the EU regulator, as reported by GamesIndustry. Microsoft and Activision have been in preliminary talks with the European Union in Brussels since January, with Microsoft expected to formally file its case in the coming weeks.
According to a Brussels source, it is “a big deal, a difficult thing. It needs a thorough investigation.”
Regarding the decision of the UK authorities to conduct a more thorough investigation, Sony issued a statement welcoming the decision:
“By giving Microsoft control of Activision games like Call of Duty, this deal will have a significant negative impact on the future of gamers and the gaming industry. We want to make sure that PlayStation players continue to have a high-quality gaming experience, and we want to make sure that PlayStation players continue to enjoy a high-quality gaming experience.” Appreciate the CMA’s focus on security.”
Microsoft had already responded to Sony’s statement with the following words: “It makes no business sense for Microsoft to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation, given its market-leading console position.”
