Following months of trying to get its Microsoft Activision deal approved by UK regulators, the CMA hasn't ruled in its favour.
Going against what many industry insiders and analysts assumed would be a sure thing, UK regulatory body the Competition and Markets Authority has elected to block Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This comes after almost a year’s worth of the Xbox giant trying to appease the CMA, making promises that it wouldn’t make Call of Duty an Xbox exclusive as it attempted to alleviate the organisation’s concerns that its Microsoft Activision deal would decrease market competition. It appears to have all been for nothing, and Call of Duty ended up playing a very minor factor.
The CMA's summarised report reads as follows: “The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that the anticipated acquisition (the Merger) of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) by Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) (together, the Parties) may not be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in console gaming services in the UK. However, the CMA has found that the Merger may be expected to result in an SLC in cloud gaming services in the UK.”
