No one ever said that getting a $68.7 billion acquisition approved would be easy, as Microsoft has recently been discovering.
It was first confirmed early last year that Microsoft intended to buy Activision Blizzard in what would be the largest video game acquisition of all time, but the key word there is “intended”. Back in April, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it was going to block the deal based on “concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come”.
If Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision goes through, the company will own the Call of Duty IP. Take a look at some of the funniest wins and fails from the original Warzone below.
Despite that huge roadblock however, the deal isn’t over yet. Back in April when the CMA's decision was announced, Microsoft president Brad Smith confirmed that the company would appeal, and as PC Gamer reports, during Xbox’s recent What's Next For Gaming event, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that Microsoft is still “committed” to making the deal happen, and he’s “confident” it will.
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“We’re out there to find solutions with the regulators that have questions, and that's what we're actively doing,” Spencer said, explaining that regulators have problems with various parts of the acquisition. “We're trying to get to solutions. We did that with the European Commission. I'm confident we'll find solutions in the other areas as well. It's taking time, it's taking focus, but I'm confident.”
Last month, CNBC asked Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella if he’d considered withholding the company’s products from the UK if the deal is approved in other parts of the world, to which he responded: “Let’s wait for it all to play out.” Clearly, he doesn’t want to jump the gun, but it’s slightly concerning for UK gamers that he didn’t give a definite no.
Featured Image Credit: Microsoft, ActivisionTopics: Xbox, Microsoft, Activision, Activision Blizzard