UK regulator blocks Microsoft's Activision Blizzard merger over cloud concerns

The UK’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, has announced it will block Microsoft’s eye-popping purchase of Activision Blizzard. In a statement, the body said the deal risks harming the nascent cloud-gaming market by creating a monopoly player. It added that, if the deal concluded, Microsoft would have a market share of between 60 and 70 percent, “incentive to withhold [Activision Blizzard] games from competitors and substantially weaken competition in this important growing market.”