The Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed over the Activision Blizzard logo shown in this January 18, 2022 illustration. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Sept 14 (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp’s ( MSFT.O ) deal to buy video game publisher Activision Blizzard ( ATVI.O ) is expected to face an in-depth investigation by Britain after the maker of software offered no remedy to alleviate competition concerns, the Financial Times reported.
Microsoft chose not to offer any remedies to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) at this stage because there were no obvious commitments that the UK regulator was likely to accept, the report said on Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the ‘subject.
The CMA said earlier this month that the acquisition of the “Call of Duty” maker could harm competition in game consoles, subscription services and cloud gaming if Microsoft refused to give competitors access to top-selling games from Activision.
Microsoft and Activision did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, while CMA declined to respond.
The EU probe could take some time to examine the deal, which also faces an in-depth investigation in Brussels, because of its size and growing concerns from rivals including Sony, added the report
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Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bangalore; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli
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