The British competition watchdog Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into Microsoft’s acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard, reports the supervisor Wednesday.
Microsoft made announced at the beginning of this year that it will acquire game developer Activision Blizzard for $ 68.7 billion (about 67.5 billion euros), the most expensive acquisition in the game industry to date.
The game developer is known for games such as Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot en Tony Hawk† The acquisition has yet to be completed. That could take until June 2023.
The CMA has announced that it will investigate whether the acquisition will hinder competition in the gaming market. The watchdog will decide by 1 September whether the investigation will be given a second, more extensive phase.
The British regulator is not the only one who has launched an investigation into the takeover. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it would do the same in February.
The FTC’s investigation focuses on Activision Blizzard’s game offerings in combination with Microsoft’s consoles. Researchers will also look at whether the acquisition could harm Microsoft’s competitors by limiting their access to the company’s biggest games.
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