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 senses , and that it would end up approving said operation.
This refusal has been the only one that Microsoft has received to date , although we must remember that those from Redmond also have the lawsuit filed by the FTC in the United States pending, and that this is aimed at blocking said operation. Many believe that, in the end, those from Redmond will have no problem overcoming this demand, but with the CMA things seem much more complicated because this body has closed in on a 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 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 it would not mind making the sacrifice of ceasing to market Activision Blizzard’s games and services in the United Kingdom.
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 the Activision Blizzard games in the United Kingdom , and these would not be accessible on the different cloud gaming services within that country either. I think it’s pretty clear that, in the end, blocking the CMA would end up having more of a negative impact than a positive impact on consumers and users in the UK, and it’s clear that everything I’ve just told you could be used to put pressure on and that said entity reconsiders its position.