UK Watchdog Says Microsoft's $75 Billion Purchase of Activision Raises Competition Concerns

By Jaime Llinares Taboada

The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that the proposed $75 billion acquisition of videogame publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. by Microsoft Corp. raises competition concerns, and that it intends to conduct an in-depth probe into the deal.

The regulator said that the purchase could substantially lessen competition in gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud gaming services.

Specifically, the British watchdog said it is concerned that Microsoft could refuse rivals access to Activision games--which include Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Microsoft is the owner of Xbox, one of the most popular gaming consoles.

The CMA said that these concerns warrant an in-depth Phase 2 investigation, and Microsoft and Activision now have five working days to submit proposals to address these concerns.

Write to Jaime Llinares Taboada at jaime.llinares@wsj.com; @JaimeLlinaresT

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 01, 2022 07:38 ET (11:38 GMT)

Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024