The United Kingdom’s regulatory body, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has granted approval for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the creator of Call of Duty. This marks the removal of the final obstacle for the largest gaming deal to date. The CMA stated that it issued its approval after the revised agreement significantly resolved the concerns it had previously raised.
Call of Duty Maker Activision Blizzard to be Bought by Microsoft
Microsoft, the company behind Xbox, had initially unveiled the largest gaming deal in history in early 2022. However, in April, the £56 billion ($69 billion) acquisition was rejected by the UK’s competition regulator. The regulator’s primary concern was that the American tech giant would attain an excessive level of control over the emerging cloud gaming sector. Subsequent modifications to the deal have addressed these concerns.
In a recent development, the regulator indicated that it was likely to approve the deal, as French video game company Ubisoft reached an agreement to acquire Activision’s cloud gaming rights, bypassing Microsoft.
The head of the CMA, Sarah Cardell, criticized Microsoft for their tactics, stating that they were not an appropriate way to interact with the regulatory authority.
“Microsoft had the chance to restructure during our initial investigation but instead continued to insist on a package of measures that we told them simply wouldn’t work. Dragging out proceedings in this way only wastes time and money.”
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