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UK regulators block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Microsoft and Activision will appeal the CMA's new ruling.
Donovan Erskine
Donovan Erskine
1

Arguably the largest ongoing conversation in the gaming industry over the past year has been whether or not Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard should and will go through. Causing concerns of anti-trust practices and monopolization, Microsoft has been fighting to get the deal to close while others, such as Sony, fight for the opposite. Now, UK regulators have come to a decision, voting to block Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal.

The news broke this morning that the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority would move to block Microsoft’s blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind Call of Duty, Overwatch, and countless other games. In the official press release, the CMA actually reveals the driving concern behind its decision: cloud gaming.

A graphic of Activision Blizzard's biggest IP.

Source: Activision Blizzard

The release refers to the fact that cloud gaming has exploded in popularity lately, tripling its monthly active users in the UK from the start of 2021 to the end of 2022. With cloud gaming trending upward fast, the CMA is most concerned about how Microsoft may gatekeep its popular new IP on its own services.

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith has confirmed that Microsoft will appeal the CMA’s ruling. “We remain fully committed to this acquisition and will appeal. The CMA’s decision rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United Kingdom.”

Microsoft has tried relentlessly to assuage anti-competitive concerns surrounding its Activision Blizzard acquisition in recent months. The company signed 10-year deals to bring Call of Duty titles to the Boosteroid and Ubitus cloud gaming services and even inked a decade-long deal to put CoD on Nintendo platforms.

With Microsoft set to appeal, this saga could very likely roll into 2024. Stick with Shacknews for the latest updates on Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal.

News Editor
News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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