UK’s CMA Rejects Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, April 26, 2023

CONTACT: Max von Thun, vonthun@openmarketsinstitute.org

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WASHINGTON - Open markets released a statement from Europe Director Max von Thun on the CMA’s valiant actions against Big Tech’s attempted dominance by denying Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

“After unwinding Meta’s acquisition of Giphy, the UK’s CMA has once again demonstrated its willingness to stand up to Big Tech’s attempts to buy out the competition. Allowing Microsoft to acquire Activision would not only bolster its position in the console market, but more importantly – by combining Activision’s enviable catalogue with Microsoft’s significant cloud and PC assets – risk giving it an unshakeable grip over the rapidly emerging cloud gaming sector. 

 “The CMA was right to reject Microsoft’s efforts to settle the investigation with behavioural commitments, which are difficult to monitor and easily outpaced by developments in fast-moving markets. Open Markets urges other competition authorities scrutinising this deal to take the CMA’s lead and block it outright.”

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The Open Markets Institute is a team of journalists, researchers, lawyers, economists, and advocates working together to expose and reverse the stranglehold that corporate monopolies have on our country.  Learn more at www.openmarketsinstitute.org.