Microsoft and Activision: the United Kingdom holds back on the acquisition

The fear of monopoly shakes the land of King Charles: the United Kingdom puts a spanner in Microsoft’s works for the agreement with Activision

We would all have assumed that the absorption of Activision from Microsoft would have grilled only Sony (despite its many acquisitions and as many exclusives), but apparently theCompetition and Markets Authority (CMA in English, ndt) has imposed a halt since United Kingdom. However, it’s not so much about the possibility of seeing Call of Duty, World of Warcaft and Candy Crush wearing only green, but about cloud industry concerns. In fact, the institution sees a threat to free competition “in this rapidly growing market”. Naturally, the jade titan’s response was not long in coming.

Race appeal for Microsoft and Activision after UK shutdown

“We are firm in our position [circa l’affare Activision] and we will appeal,” the president of Microsoft said on the day Brad Smith on UK tripping. “The body’s decision rejects a pragmatic approach to competition concerns and discourages the intent to invest in technological innovation of the [suo] territory.” Continuing, Smith he unbuttoned himself on the salient details of the acquisition, speaking of “already signed contracts” to bring the publisher’s titles to “150 million more devices”. The words on the “poor understanding” of the cloud market were particularly lapidary.

We’ve prevented @Microsoft from purchasing @Activision over concerns the deal would damage competition in the #CloudGaming market, leading to less innovation and choice for UK #gamers. ☁️https://t.co/SdXt1rYAkZ pic.twitter.com/prWcDI7Evt

— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) April 26, 2023

Even the publisher was quick to have his say, defining the hitch as a “disservice” to the English people and appealing to the economic situation across the Channel, with a not particularly rosy post-Brexit prospect. The institution’s concerns focus on the possibility of “higher prices, less choice and less innovation”, to then declare the implications of the agreement excessive given the already wide choice of the Xbox landscape. Furthermore, according to the CMA, the cloud would make the purchase of dedicated consoles and PCs unnecessary, and that is why Microsoft should not have access to “such an advantageous position”. We look forward to further developments.

Now it’s up to you to have your say: is it really just a matter of time before the deal goes through? Let us know below, and as always, don’t forget to stay on tuttotek for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Kinguin.