Microsoft and Activision acquisition, China rejects antitrust simplified procedure [aggiornata]

it seemsChina antitrustChina State Market Regulatory Administration (SAMR), refused the simplified procedure aboutMicrosoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The news comes from some investors citing two different reports that have been circulating for several hours, so no official statement has yet been made by the regulator. Rejecting the simplified procedure that can be completed in 40 days means Microsoft must follow the normal procedure, which is much longer.

As you may recall, a few days ago the European Commission did not give the green light to the takeover and went into phase 2 ordering more in-depth investigations.

The negative view of the simplified procedure came hours after the announcement that Activision Blizzard would leave China, sparking fierce controversy from the head of NetEase, which is responsible for distributing the publisher’s games in Chinese soil.

All eyes are now on US antitrust, which is expected to make its decision by the end of the month, which could affect other regulators.

Update

We apologize for initially misreporting the news and interpreting this not as a refusal to use the simplified procedure, but as a disclaimer per se.