Following victories over the FTC in the United States and other approvals from regulatory bodies in the EU and other locations, Microsoft is trying to convince the UK Competition and Markets Authority ( CMA ) to change its mind and approve the company’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. In an unusual step, the CMA is requesting new comments on the deal and will consider them ahead of its final order due next month.
Microsoft has submitted a report to the CMA intending to convince the regulatory body to overturn its rejection of the deal over cloud gaming. The full report has been released by the CMA and details Microsoft's claims and The Stance they are taking in order to try and convince the UK to let the deal happen.
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to postpone their deal's closing date to October in order to work to get the deal approved in the UK. Among Microsoft's statements in the report include the victory over the US Federal Trade Commission, and the commitments that Microsoft made, via a series of 10-year deals that won over the European Commission. One of the newest developments is a deal that Microsoft signed with Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, in line with other 10-year deals the company signed with other platforms.
Call of Duty has been a stickler in these negotiations, and this is something that Sony has been highlighting, and Microsoft is taking advantage of the fact that they now have a signed deal with Sony, essentially settling some of the origins of moves to block the acquisition deal.
The CMA is due to release its final report at the end of August, but they have opened a call for comments following Microsoft's new report submission. Particularly in light of the deal with Sony.
“In response to that notice, Microsoft has made a series of submissions to the CMA about developments since the publication of the Report, including the acceptance by the European Commission of commitments offered by Microsoft and the agreement recently entered into between Microsoft and Sony,” the CMA’s new call says.
The final report is due by August 29th.
