The CMA is left alone before the purchase block and Microsoft does not rule out removing the games from the United Kingdom.
The union could be closer than we think.
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The purchase of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft is still a hot topic. After the approval of the European Commission, the CMA is left alone offering a refusal that loses more weight every day. In the face of “yes” from all the other regulatory bodies and after the UK Prime Minister himself has said that they plan to do a worker redevelopment, this is compounded by the possibility of losing a huge market.
And it is precisely because of this, because of the market, that Rishi Sunak is so concerned. The CMA’s refusal leaves the UK in a bad light, losing money and job opportunities, something the Prime Minister is not willing to tolerate. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has said that he does not rule out that in the future, Activision-Blizzard games won’t be released in the UK if the purchase is not confirmed.
We have a process… Of course we respect the sovereignty of the UK and the CMA to decide what is good in this country. In a sense, this is the most pro-competition thing I’ve ever seen. Let everything play out and we’ll see what happens.
The CMA could be between a rock and a hard place
The blocking by the United Kingdom Agency is based solely on cloud gaming, something that makes no sense, since the facilities that Microsoft has provided and the limited market that currently exists, do not seem to be a reason to back out of this agreement. In fact, The European Commission does not believe that this acquisition poses any kind of problem for the video game industryNot even if a saga like Call of Duty becomes exclusive.
Given this, Satya Nadella has said that this acquisition is good for competition and competitiveness in the world of video games. He even claims that he respects the decision of the CMA and the UK, although the opinion of the country itself seems to be distant from that of the CMA. In addition to that, Nadella has been asked in an interview for CNBC if he sees a future where Activision video games are not sold in the United Kingdom feasible. In fact, the CEO of Microsoft does not deny this option. As you have been able to see in the video that I have left you just above.
However, it seems that this still has time to be resolved, Microsoft has already announced an appeal against the CMA’s decision. Of course, both the Redmond company and Activision have already hired their lawyers and are preparing absolutely everything so that nothing is left in the pipeline. We’ll see what happens, but things for the CMA are not looking easy.
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