![]() ![]() The Enterprise Act 2002 gives the UK Competition and Markets Authority wide-ranging powers to block deals it deems to be harmful to competition. “The bar is set quite high for success,” he told CNN. “It’s hard to win these appeals because you have to show it was an irrational decision,” said Haffner, the competition lawyer. Their chances of success at the tribunal may be slim, however. Microsoft President Brad Smith added: “This decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of the market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works.” “Alongside Microsoft, we can and will contest this decision, and we’ve already begun the work to appeal to the UK Competition Appeals Tribunal,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “The evidence available… indicates that, absent the merger, Activision would start providing games via cloud platforms in the foreseeable future.”īoth companies plan to appeal the decision. Allowing Microsoft to take such a strong position in the cloud gaming market just as it begins to grow rapidly would risk undermining the innovation that is crucial to the development of these opportunities,” it added. “The cloud allows UK gamers to avoid buying expensive gaming consoles and PCs and gives them much more flexibility and choice as to how they play. In its ruling, the Competition and Markets Authority said Microsoft could seek to make Activision’s games exclusive to its own platforms and then increase the cost of a Game Pass subscription. “It’s hard to see how the deal would carry on without approval from all three regulators.” “It has potential implications for those decisions as well,” he added. The regulators “cooperate quite closely,” said Alex Haffner, a partner at London law firm Fladgate, who described the UK decision as “seismic,” even though it applies only to the firms’ activities in Britain. The European Union is also evaluating the transaction. In December, the US Federal Trade Commission sued to block the takeover over similar competition concerns. The deal to combine the businesses has been met with growing opposition by antitrust regulators worldwide. (ATVI) is one of the world’s biggest video game developers, producing games such as “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo” and “Overwatch.” Microsoft, which sells the Xbox gaming console, offers a video game subscription service called Xbox Game Pass, as well as a cloud-based video game streaming service. UK competition regulator warns Microsoft's Activision deal could harm millions of gamers The 'Battle For Texas' tournament is the first in-person match since early 2020. Overwatch League 'Battle For Texas' tournament at Tech Port Arena in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., on Friday, May 6, 2022. Attendees play a beta version of Overwatch 2 during the Activision Blizzard Inc. ![]()
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