investigationsAntitrust in the European Union on meMicrosoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzardwith the European Commission now seemingly ready for that Enter stage 2According to reports from some sources.
This was reported, in particular, by a report by Politico, prior to an official announcement by the Commission.
Microsoft had a time limit on October 31, 2022 for Submit any changes to the agreement or more documents to definitively resolve the doubts and eventually put an end to the investigation, but since there are no changes, investigations must continue.
The second phase of investigations should therefore also be initiated by the European Commission, which should be formalized on 8 November and continue for a few more months, thus moving Final answer Perhaps in early 2023, similar to what is also happening with the CMA in the UK.
This development was somewhat predictable, especially from the moment when Microsoft decided not to propose specific “commitments”, or certain obligations aimed at amending the acquisition agreement in order to satisfy the most obvious doubts immediately. It is a standard working method that supposes, however, more in-depth investigations.
And according to Politico, even with regard to the European Commission, the most pressing doubts will be about the final outcome. Call of Duty Exclusive Or the fact that the series can’t make it to PlayStation, which hurts a direct competitor.
On the other hand, Phil Spencer continues to stress that there is no such risk, recently stating that “as long as there is a PlayStation, Call of Duty will come to PlayStation”. In any case, the investigations continue as is also expected by Microsoft itself, which in fact has already set March 2023 as the period for a possible final approval (or not) for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
