Microsoft’s acquisition deal for video game maker Activision will face an in-depth antitrust investigation in the UK

Microsoft has come under intense scrutiny after the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (September 14th) that the US tech company’s deal to buy video game publisher Activision Blizzard is set to be thoroughly investigated in Brussels and the UK.

Concerns have been raised after reports surfaced that Microsoft’s $75 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard is apparently anti-competitive and will block rivals from accessing the popular game. Call of Duty. The software maker did not provide any solution to assuage the concurrency issues.

Citing people familiar with this particular deal, FT said Microsoft chose not to offer any remedy to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) because there was no clear commitment that the UK regulator would to accept.

READ ALSO | Instagram is working on a new feature called “Gifts” to monetize Reels for creators

Earlier this month, the CMA said the “Call of Duty” maker takeover could hurt competition in game consoles, subscription services and cloud gaming if Microsoft refuses to give its competitors access to Activision’s best-selling games.

The report mentions that the UK’s CMA is expected to launch an in-depth investigation this week.

As quoted by the report, a person in Brussels familiar with the transaction said: “It’s a big deal, a tough deal. It needs a thorough investigation.”

READ ALSO | Robots are here “for better or for worse”, but will they take over the world? The world’s most advanced humanoid says no

WATCH | World Business Watch: Are big tech companies abusing their market power?

This comes after a recent accusation made by Sony. Last week, Sony said Microsoft was misleading the games industry and regulators about its commitments to meet Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles.

Sony had said that Microsoft had only offered to continue publishing Activision’s hit game on PlayStation for a limited number of years.

After the latest developments, it is understood the EU investigation could take time to scrutinize the deal due to its size and growing concerns from rivals.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.