In the UK, too, there is resistance to Microsoft’s planned takeover of Activision Blizzard.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a preliminary report saying the acquisition could “harm UK players” and potentially lead to “higher prices, less choice or less innovation”.
The concerns about the takeover
The American Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission had already expressed their concerns about the deal in its current form.
The CMA will now update Microsoft and Activision Blizzard on possible options to allay those concerns. There is a deadline of the end of the month. The final CMA report is expected by April 26, 2023.
The CMA also provides three examples of what a solution might look like:
- Sell off the line of business associated with Call of Duty
- Sell Activision Blizzard’s Activision division
- Selling both the Activision and Blizzard divisions
In response, Microsoft has reiterated that they are not aiming to make Call of Duty exclusive anytime soon.
“We aim to provide effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the concerns of the CMA,” Microsoft’s Rima Alaily said in a statement to our UK Eurogamer colleagues.
“Our commitment to give Sony, Nintendo, Steam and others 100 percent equal access to Call of Duty for the long term solidifies the benefits of the agreement for gamers and developers and increases competition in the market. 75 percent of respondents to the public consultation The CMA believe this agreement is good for competition in the UK games market.”
“What does 100 percent mean? When we say equal, we mean equal. 10 years of parity. In content. In pricing. In features. In quality. In playability.”
The preliminary report follows a five-month investigation that officials said previously examined more than three million Microsoft and Activision internal documents. There was also a survey of British players and statements from other companies in the industry.
