CMA said it was concerned the proposed deal could lessen competition in gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services and cloud gamingMicrosoft faces a further competition probe in the UK over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Photograph: Tim Heitman/Getty ImagesMicrosoft’s proposed $68.7 billion takeover of games publisher Activision Blizzard could lead to competition concerns and requires a more in-depth investigation, the UK’s competition watchdog has said.
As well as being one of the world’s biggest computer companies, Microsoft is a key player in the gaming market, most notably through its Xbox range. The watchdog said it also received evidence about the potential impact of combing the broader ecosystems of the two companies, and that Microsoft could leverage Activision’s games alongside its own strengths in consoles, cloud computing and PC operating systems to damage competition in the growing market of cloud gaming services — where players are able to stream video games.