Tempers continue to flare over U.K.\u2019s blocking of the Microsoft Activision deal<\/strong>, with Xbox fans hoping that the British government will step in and overrule the Competition and Markets Authority\u2019s (CMA) decision. Both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have already gone scorched earth, releasing statements that read like veiled threats.<\/p>\n

Xbox fans pin the blame for Microsoft Activision deal being blocked on Sony<\/h2>\n
Despite the fact that the CMA dismissed Sony\u2019s concerns about competition in the console space, fans continue to accuse the regulator of \u201cprotecting the market leader from competition.\u201d It\u2019s extremely rare for CMA\u2019s decisions to be overturned, but that hasn\u2019t stopped fans from pulling out past cases where appeals did work, and expecting the same to happen in this case.<\/p>\n
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The @CMAgovUK<\/a>‘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\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 Florian Mueller (@FOSSpatents) April 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
In its statement<\/a>, Activision Blizzard \u2013 a company no stranger to labor law violations and resulting lawsuits \u2013 bizarrely expressed its concerns for U.K. citizens\u2019 economic prospects while threatening to reevaluate its future plans in the country in light of CMA\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n
Microsoft accused U.K. of being anti-competition, prompting a response from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak\u2019s office decrying the statements. Sunak offered to engage Microsoft but reminded the company that the CMA is an independent body.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Lina Khan to discuss the deal in violation of U.S. law.<\/p>\n
There is no proof that CMA and FTC met specifically to block Microsoft\u2019s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n