Last month, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked Activision Blizzard’s merger with Microsoft, citing the cloud gaming market as being why the deal was blocked.
Hwoever, things have gone a bit awry since we learned the deal was stricken down in the UK. Now, it seems like the CMA wants to take things even further and has banned Microsoft from “acquiring an Interest” it seems.
What this means is that neither Microsoft or Activision Blizzard can do anything to buy the other company out. This went into effect on May 5 and includes both subsidiaries, and is required by the CMA to have written consent from the governing body.
To really stick it to both companies, both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard can’t invest in development projects at either company. The CMA has made it so it is nearly impossible for either company to even look at each other with the intention of going home together, essentially.
“The CMA wishes to ensure that no action is taken pending final determination of the Reference which might prejudice the Reference or impede the taking of any action by the CMA under Part 3 of the Act which might be justified by the CMA’s decisions on the Reference.”
It seems like things may be shifting though as there have been sources that spoke to Reuters claiming the European Commission plans to approve the merger. This will reportedly happen on May 15 and that the European Commision found that Microsoft had addresses antitrust concerns the governing body had.
