The takeover of the videogame publisher maker could hurt competition in gaming consoles, subscription services and cloud gaming if Microsoft refused to give competitors access to Activision’s best-selling games.
Britain’s antitrust watchdog said on Thursday it would go for an in-depth probe into Microsoft’s $69-billion purchase of “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard after the tech giant failed to offer remedies to soothe competition concerns.
The deal, which was announced in January, will require approval in the United States as well as other major jurisdictions including the European Union and China.
The CMA stated earlier this month that if Microsoft refuses to grant competitors access to Activision’s top-grossing games, the acquisition of the videogame publisher maker might harm competition in gaming consoles, subscription services, and cloud gaming.
According to a person familiar with the situation, Reuters earlier reported that Microsoft will pay a $3 billion break-up fee if the merger fails, indicating the business was confident in receiving antitrust approval.
