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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Business
Michael Hunter

UK watchdog prepares probe into Microsoft’s £60 billion deal to buy maker of Call of Duty

Microsoft Activision Blizzard United Kingdom CMA

The deal to acquire Activision Blizzard would unite the Xbox game platform with the maker of Call of Duty

(Picture: PS5)

The UK’s competition watchdog has announced a potential in-depth probe into Microsoft’s blockbuster, $69 billion (£60 billion) acquisition of computer game maker Activision Blizzard.

It adds to a chorus of doubts among major regulators and industry rivals on the deal’s impact and the creation of what some experts have referred to as the ‘Netflix of gaming’, as online streaming is becoming more popular among players.

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