Microsoft's Hail Mary To Score $69B Activision Deal May Have Won Over EU Regulators
Microsoft's plan to acquire Activision-Blizzard-King has been a bit of a test for regulators in both Europe and America. Regulators have voiced concerns over the deal giving the tech giant an unfair advantage in what is already a very lucrative gaming market. The greatest amount of attention has been focused on the future of the popular Call of Duty franchise, even though Microsoft has insisted its desire to buy Activision-Blizzard-King is mainly due to King's mobile presence.

While insiders don't believe Microsoft will have to sell assets to gain the European Commission's blessing, it is believed that it will have to offer other behavioral remedies in order to ease the concerns of other companies, such as Sony.

Representatives from Microsoft and Activision have been meeting with the UK's antitrust watchdog this past week, according to a Bloomberg report. The meetings are an attempt to allay any concerns the regulators may still have about the deal. This comes after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released its provisional findings, in which it expressed concerns that the deal could raise prices and give fewer choices for gamers.
Even if Microsoft and Activision can convince regulators in the UK and EU that the deal will not harm the market or gamers, there is still the issue of the Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. The FTC has expressed concerns that games such as World of Warcraft and Diablo, along with Call of Duty, would not continue to be offered on a range of devices. A hearing is set in August 2023 for the agency to make its case in front of an administrative law judge.
"Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals," stated Holly Vedova, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition.