Microsoft Corp.’s planned $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. will be sent for an in-depth review unless it offers remedies to address the UK watchdog’s competition concerns.
(Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp.’s planned $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard Inc. will be sent for an in-depth review unless it offers remedies to address the UK watchdog’s competition concerns.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday it was concerned about a substantial lessening of competition in the gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services and cloud gaming services markets. It gave Microsoft a Sept. 8 deadline to offer acceptable remedies.
The combination with Activision — which owns some of the most popular franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Guitar Hero — will make Microsoft the world’s third-largest gaming company and boost the XBox maker’s roster of titles for its Game Pass subscribers.
The deal caught the attention of regulators in Europe and the US, who have been closely scrutinizing the reach and influence of big technology companies, as well as their counterparts in the European Union and China.
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