UK Watchdog Changes Stance on Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has updated its provisional findings on Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The regulator has said that it no longer believes the deal will significantly reduce competition in the console gaming space, following new evidence that alleviated some of its concerns. The CMA had previously expressed worries that the acquisition could affect PlayStation’s ability to compete with Microsoft. However, Microsoft has told regulators it would make new Call of Duty games available on PlayStation on the same day as Xbox for a decade, and that it would bring the game to third-party cloud gaming platforms. The CMA’s final report is expected by April 26.