Britain blocks Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Britain’s largest competition regulator has moved to block Microsoft’s acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard, in a painful blow to the US tech giant.

Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022 for $69 billion, in one of the largest deals the video game sector has seen so far.

Some of Microsoft’s competitors objected to the deal, fearing it could give Microsoft a tight grip on the $200 billion gaming market, and of particular concern was the prospect of Microsoft stopping Activision’s popular Call of Duty from being released on some platforms.

Sony, in particular, has expressed concern about Microsoft’s purchase of Activision, as the Japanese gaming giant fears that Microsoft will make Call of Duty exclusive to its Xbox in the long term.