The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has been blocked by the British competition authority, but Activision and Microsoft do not intend to stop there. Activision has already counter-attacked the United Kingdom, which it accuses of being “clearly closed for business”.
The UK Competition Authority (CMA) decided on the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for nearly 69 billion dollars. After several months of reflection, the CMA has decided to block the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which it believes could ” alter the future of the cloud gaming market “. Microsoft and Activision immediately announced that they would appeal the decision, but Activision went even further with a real counter-attack.
Activision Blizzard did not hesitate to castigate the uk whom he accuses of being clearly closed for business “. The studio said the decision to block the takeover “ contradicts the ambitions of the United Kingdom to become an attractive country to create tech companies “. According to him, the CMA makes a “ a disservice to British citizens, who face an increasingly dire economic outlook ».
Activision Blizzard’s CEO hasn’t had his final say on the CMA decision
The CMA’s decision to block the Activision Blizzard takeover was unexpected, especially since Nintendo and Nvidia recently sided with Microsoft. In any case, Bobby Kotick who is the general manager of Activision promised the employees of the studio that he would fight against this decision. It is ” far from the last word “, according to him.
Activision and Microsoft therefore both reacted to the CMA’s decision, but Activision’s comments were a little more forceful. In an email sent to all employees, Bobby Kotick confirmed thatproceedings are already pending before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal. He also added that the decision of the CMA is contradictory for the United Kingdom which wants to increase its leading position in the technology industry. If the CMA does not reconsider its decision, Bobby Kotick believes that blocking the takeover of Activision Blizzard “ would stifle investment, competition and job creation across the UK gambling industry ».
Now Activision Blizzard and Microsoft are waiting the final verdict of the European Union which should fall on May 22, 2023. The takeover project is increasingly under serious threat, but a green light from the EU could help put things right. Activision and Microsoft face a legal battle that promises to be long and tedious, but the two companies can also decide to give up at any time.
Source : Financial Times
