Microsoft’s acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard has been put to a stop by Britain’s competition regulator as the regulator is not convinced that the deal will benefit competition.
Microsoft had announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022 for $69 billion but some of Microsoft’s competitors contested the deal on grounds it may give Microsoft a tight grip on the $200 billion games market.
Microsoft had sought to allay those concerns by offering Sony, Nintendo, Nvidia and other firms 10-year agreements to continue bringing Call of Duty to their respective gaming platforms.
Apart from the British regulator, the EU continues to probe the merger to assess whether it hurts competition, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued to block the deal on antitrust grounds.
