Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will need to be approved by a number of authorities across the globe, including the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA, which launched its investigation in July, presented a summary of its preliminary findings in September and urged a more thorough examination. According to Ars Technica, a Phase 2 probe might result in a merger being prohibited or compelling the organizations involved to sell portions of a corporation. Microsoft issued a blistering rebuttal (PDF) immediately after the CMA published the entire language of its ruling, accusing the regulator of relying on “self-serving assertions by Sony.”
The tech giant said in its response, which was shared with Ars, that the CMA’s decision was based on concerns that Activision’s collection of titles, notably the Call of Duty brand, would enable Xbox to compete “exclude its rivals
