Microsoft’s £60bn takeover of Call of Duty-maker in the firing line
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Microsoft’s £60bn acquisition of Call of Duty video game maker Activision Blizzard in the firing line as watchdog claims it could ‘harm gamers’
Microsoft’s £60bn acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard is in doubt after regulators said it could “harm gamers”.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the deal could lead to higher prices, less choice or less innovation in the video game industry.
Microsoft makes Xbox video game consoles and is in a battle for supremacy with Japanese giant Sony, which makes the Playstation.
Battleground: The Competition and Markets Authority fears that an acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft will hit the competition
The CMA said Call Of Duty is driving competition between the two.
Microsoft could be tempted to restrict access to the franchise for Playstation users, as it has done with other games, the watchdog added, saying it may have to restrict the Call Of Duty or World of Warcraft franchises. fired or that the takeover is blocked.
The regulator invited the companies to propose solutions to address its concerns.
Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick said blocking the deal would mean a “fragile” British government would miss a post-Brexit opportunity to create up to 5,000 jobs.
“The CMA doesn’t really use independent thinking, or think about how this would have a positive effect on the UK,” he told the Financial Times.
Rima Alaily, Microsoft’s deputy general counsel, promised it would guarantee Call Of Duty access to rivals for 10 years.