Microsoft's bid to takeover Call of Duty maker Activision blocked by UK watchdog

By allowing millions of gamers to enter virtual battlefields and fight it out with friends over LAN, Call of Duty created by Activision became synonymous with first-person shooter games. As big tech giants expand and acquire smaller players, the watchdog in UK has been battling anti-competition practices, and forced Facebook to sell Giphy after acquiring it.

In its latest action, UK's antitrust regulator has blocked Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision, the gaming firm that gave the world Call of Duty.

Facing opposition on multiple fronts

• Microsoft's plan to take over the firm that launched the Call of Duty franchise in 2003, had been announced early in 2022.

• Since then it has also faced opposition from the US Federal Trade Commission, citing a threat to competition in the cloud gaming space.

• The same concern is behind the British authority's decision to prevent Microsoft's all cash deal, which was set to be the tech sector's biggest ever.

Watchdog guarding Call of Duty

• The regulator also mentioned that Microsoft's promise of providing access to Call of Duty was not enough to address its concerns.

• The firm which also faces competition from Sony in gaming, expressed disappointment but also reiterated its commitment towards the acquisition.

• Microsoft added that the UK watchdog's verdict was based on a flawed understanding of the gaming business.