EU to investigate Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal

Stefan Mileschin · 14th November 2022, 07:08

Moving to phase II of monopoly investigation

The European Commission has announced that, following its initial investigation into Microsoft's proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it will now be opening a more "in-depth" Phase 2 probe to determine the deal's likely impact on competition.

The Commission said it had made the decision after its preliminary investigation showed Microsoft's acquisition may "significantly reduce competition on the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, including multi-game subscription services or cloud game streaming services, and for PC operating systems".

It was worried that Microsoft had a "potential economic incentive" to prevent competitors from accessing Activision Blizzard's "high-profile and highly successful games" upon closure of the deal, specifically highlighting the Call of Duty.

https://fudzilla.com/news/gaming/558...-blizzard-deal

14th November 2022, 07:08	#1
Stefan Mileschin [M] Reviewer Join Date: May 2010 Location: Romania Posts: 148,678	EU to investigate Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal Moving to phase II of monopoly investigation The European Commission has announced that, following its initial investigation into Microsoft's proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it will now be opening a more "in-depth" Phase 2 probe to determine the deal's likely impact on competition. The Commission said it had made the decision after its preliminary investigation showed Microsoft's acquisition may "significantly reduce competition on the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, including multi-game subscription services or cloud game streaming services, and for PC operating systems". It was worried that Microsoft had a "potential economic incentive" to prevent competitors from accessing Activision Blizzard's "high-profile and highly successful games" upon closure of the deal, specifically highlighting the Call of Duty. https://fudzilla.com/news/gaming/558...-blizzard-deal

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