The CMA decided, against all odds, to block Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. It was something very curious because, after the last concessions and arguments that the Redmond giant had given, it seemed that the British body had finally come to its sensesand that he would end up approving said operation.
That refusal has been the only one Microsoft has received to dateAlthough we must remember that those from Redmond also have the lawsuit filed by the FTC in the United States pending, and that the purpose of this is to block said operation. Many believe that, in the end, the Redmonds will have no problem exceeding that demand, but with the CMA things seem much more complicated because this organism has closed in band.
I say that it has closed in band because not even the approval of said operation by the European Union has made it consider that it could be wrong, and that perhaps it did not adequately focus on the reality of the market, the situation of gaming in the cloud and the concessions that Microsoft is willing to do in this regard. There is still the possibility that the CMA will back down and ultimately decide to give Microsoft the green light, But what could happen if it doesn’t?
It is a very interesting question, and we can get the answer from the latest statements made by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, in a recent interview. The executive implied that the company would be willing to go ahead with the purchase operation, and that he would not mind making the sacrifice of stop marketing Activision Blizzard games and services in the UK.
Leaving the UK without Activision Blizzard games would be a huge blow to consumers in that country, where the Call of Duty franchise is hugely successful, and would also hurt Sony itself, as leaving PS5 without that saga could end. reducing the interest and demand for said console in this market.
On the other hand, Microsoft would offer a Game Pass without Activision Blizzard games in the UK, and these would not be accessible in the different cloud gaming services within that country either. I think it’s pretty clear that, in the end, the CMA blocking would end up having more of a negative impact than a positive impact among consumers and users in the UK, and it’s clear that everything I’ve just told you could be used to lobby and that said entity reconsiders its position.