Tempers continue to flare over U.K.’s blocking of the Microsoft Activision deal, with Xbox fans hoping that the British government will step in and overrule the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision. Both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have already gone scorched earth, releasing statements that read like veiled threats.
Xbox fans pin the blame for Microsoft Activision deal being blocked on Sony
Despite the fact that the CMA dismissed Sony’s concerns about competition in the console space, fans continue to accuse the regulator of “protecting the market leader from competition.” It’s extremely rare for CMA’s decisions to be overturned, but that hasn’t stopped fans from pulling out past cases where appeals did work, and expecting the same to happen in this case.
The @CMAgovUK’s Sarah Cardell looks like she’s starting to realize she made a huge mistake, but won’t publicly admit it.If this was “a very thorough investigation” as she says, what will the CMA do when an investigation is not “very thorough” but merely “thorough”? After what…— Florian Mueller (@FOSSpatents) April 28, 2023
In its statement, Activision Blizzard – a company no stranger to labor law violations and resulting lawsuits – bizarrely expressed its concerns for U.K. citizens’ economic prospects while threatening to reevaluate its future plans in the country in light of CMA’s ruling.
Microsoft accused U.K. of being anti-competition, prompting a response from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office decrying the statements. Sunak offered to engage Microsoft but reminded the company that the CMA is an independent body.
In a particularly egregious move, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick suggested during a CNBC interview that CMA officials recently met with U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Lina Khan to discuss the deal in violation of U.S. law.
There is no proof that CMA and FTC met specifically to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.