The actions Of Activision Blizzard they rose after the publication of a new document with which the CMA expressed a provisional opinion of the opposite sign to the previous one on the acquisition of the company by Microsoft. An Activision Blizzard rep also took the opportunity to attack Sonye his total closure towards the deal.
As you know, the new position expressed by the CMA is that the acquisition “does not reduce competitiveness”, ie that Sony will be able to compete even if Microsoft acquires Call of Duty. Although it is not a definitive opinion, it is still a positive judgment which makes it clear that the CMA will no longer oppose the acquisition, at least on the side of the console market (the cloud gaming question remains to be seen). The doubts expressed in the past by the English antitrust body seem to have dissipated.
Of course i markets reacted strongly to the news, driving Activision Blizzard’s shares up 4.33% (at the time of writing this news).
The provisional approval was also an opportunity for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard to express their satisfaction. But if Microsoft limited itself to expressing appreciation for the CMA’s work, speaking of “rigorous and thorough evaluation of the tests”, to then reiterate that “The deal will give more choices to more players on how to play Call of Duty and their favorite games We look forward to working with the CMA to allay remaining concerns,” Activision Blizzard’s rep pointedly attacked the Jim Ryan-led company: “Sony’s campaign to defend its dominance by stopping our merger cannot top the facts, and Microsoft has already filed effective and enforceable remedies to address each of the CMA’s remaining concerns. We know this settlement will benefit competition, innovation and consumers in the UK.”
It must be said that the acquisition has not yet been confirmed by the CMA, which still has doubts related to the market cloud gaming. The final pronouncement of the English antitrust body should arrive on April 26th. We’ll see if within a month there will be other reversals of the field or if everything will go as it should for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard.
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