The filing’s approach is not subtle. Microsoft aims to persuade UK authorities that the Activision Blizzard acquisition would maintain or even boost competition, and the potential of an Xbox mobile shop should assist. However, agencies such as the CMA may not perceive it this way. Officials are still worried that Microsoft’s prospective ownership of Call of Duty on the console, cloud, and mobile platforms would give the firm too much power over the games industry, and the developer’s commitments to support competitor platforms may not be comforting enough.
