A major UK competition watchdog has raised concerns about the upcoming $69 billion acquisition of Microsoft and Activision, saying the merger of the two big companies could significantly harm competition in several key gaming sectors. such as subscription services and cloud game streaming.
Activision owns several of the world’s best-selling game franchises, including the Call of Duty FPS series and Blizzard’s portfolio of role-playing and multiplayer games.
“The CMA is concerned that if Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard, it could harm its competitors, including players of recent and future games, by denying them access to Activision Blizzard games or giving them access on much worse terms,” we read on the site. official Web. of the regulator. .
In addition, the combined weight of Activision-Blizzard games and Microsoft’s dominance of consoles, PCs and cloud gaming services could make it difficult, if not impossible, for new entrants to enter the “nascent gaming services market.” games”. , according to CMA. .
Microsoft now has an opportunity to address the CMA’s concerns, but if they are not resolved, the regulator plans to open a “phase two” investigation into the deal. This suggests the appointment of an independent commission for a “deeper” study of the issue.
In a Phase 2 CMA review, the threshold is higher: the regulator examines the deal to determine whether “the merger is likely to result in a significant lessening of competition.”
If all goes according to plan, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to close in 2023. The deal received its first regulatory approval in August, when Saudi competition authorities announced their agreement to the proposed merger.
Source : PC Gamesn
