EU begins proper investigation into Activision Blizzard acquisition

The European Commission has announced an in-depth investigation into Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It is “concerned that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in the console and personal computer distribution markets.”

As of this announcement, the European Commission has 90 days to make a final decision on the acquisition. Until then, the deal will remain on hold. Elsewhere, UK and US regulators have yet to make a decision, although the UK Competition and Markets Authority has raised concerns.

As for the specific problems the European Commission has, it all boils down to the possibility of Microsoft stopping access to Blizzard games on competing platforms. He is also concerned that it may have a detrimental effect on various game subscription and cloud game streaming on other platforms.

The official statement makes special mention of Call of Duty, which is a particularly sensitive point. The commission is concerned that “Microsoft could block access to Activision Blizzard’s console and PC video games, especially high-profile, blockbuster games (so-called ‘AAA’ games) such as ‘Call of Duty.'”

It’s worth noting that Microsoft has made guarantees to its PlayStation user base, but Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has expressed dissatisfaction with the mega-corporation’s guarantees.

One final worrying note on the European Commission’s mind centers around the PC platform, as it believes the deal could make it harder for rival PC operating system vendors to compete with Windows. This comes via the Activision Blizzard game library, along with Microsoft’s game distribution service on PC via cloud game streaming.

What is Activision Blizzard’s response to this development? CEO of Activision Blizzard released a statement on Activision Blizzard’s investor site addressing the development. While acknowledging the European Commission’s decision and Blizzard’s intention to continue cooperating with the Commission, they cite examples of regions like Brazil that approved the deal to counter the news.

What are your thoughts on all this? It looks like we’re still not going to see a conclusion to this gargantuan deal anytime soon. Do you think Activision Blizzard and Microsoft will be able to convince the EU to approve the deal? Let us know below!