Authorities in the US, the EU and the UK are all now investigating how the deal will affect competition in the games market. Credit: Thinkstock Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion purchase of game studio Activision Blizzard is facing closer scrutiny from regulators: A month after a US regulator asked a court to halt the deal, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK regulatory body that investigates potential anti-competitive behavior, has extended the timetable for its ongoing investigation. The UK regulator was due to publish its findings from the phase two investigation on March 1, 2023, however, in a statement released on January 5, the CMA said this deadline had been pushed back until April 26, 2023. It noted that the extension had been granted due to the scope and complexity of the investigation, in addition to needing more time to assess the “large volume of evidence, as well as main party and third-party submissions.” Last month, the CMA reported that after it invited the public to submit their views on the merger, the regulator received 2,100 emails, around three-quarters of which were broadly in favour and around a quarter were broadly against the proposed deal. However, despite the extension, the CMA said that it aims “to complete the inquiry as soon as possible and in advance of this date.” According to the new timetable, it is expected that the CMA will notify Microsoft and Activision Blizzard of their provisional findings and any necessary remedies by the middle of February. Interested parties will have another opportunity to submit evidence or comments in response to the CMA’s report on its provisional findings, likely in February or March 2023, with the final report published by April 26. Investigations around the world It’s not just the UK regulators that are closely scrutinising this proposed merger. In December 2022, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit seeking to block the acquisition over concerns related to Microsoft’s track record of acquiring studios and making their games exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. Speaking at the time the lawsuit was filed, Holly Vedova, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said: “Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals. Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets.” The case between Microsoft and the FTC is set to begin with hearings in August, after which FTC administrative law judge Michael Chappell will rule on whether the deal can go ahead. However, this could end up becoming as a lengthy process as in early January 2023 James Weingarten, a lawyer representing the FTC, said during a pre-trial hearing that there are currently no “substantive” settlement talks between the US government body and Microsoft over the proposed acquisition. Elsewhere, the European Commission is currently engaged in a fact-finding mission for its own probe into the proposed takeover. As reported by Reuters, the European Commission sent a 91-page questionnaire earlier in the month regarding the acquisition, asking gaming companies such as publishers and developers whether the acquisition could result in the price of the publisher’s games on competing consoles increasing or games being released late on other systems. The Commission has given itself until April 11, 2023, to decide whether to approve the deal. Related content news OpenAI unveils ‘Model Spec’: A framework for shaping responsible AI This first-of-its-kind document outlines the principles guiding model behavior in its API and ChatGPT, OpenAI announced in a blog post. By Gyana Swain May 09, 2024 4 mins Technology Industry Emerging Technology feature Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build? Get the latest info on new preview builds of Windows 11 as they roll out to Windows Insiders. Now updated for Build 26212 released for the Canary channel on May 8, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 09, 2024 253 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Windows 11 opinion Think Shadow AI is bad? Sneaky AI is worse It’s bad enough when an employee goes rogue and does an end-run around IT; but when a vendor does something similar, the problems could be broadly worse. By Evan Schuman May 09, 2024 5 mins Vendor Management Security Vendors and Providers feature Office 365: A guide to the updates Get the latest info on new features, bug fixes, and security updates for Office 365/Microsoft 365 for Windows as they roll out from Microsoft. Now updated for Version 2404 (Build 17531.20140), released on May 7, 2024. By Preston Gralla May 09, 2024 110 mins Microsoft 365 Microsoft Office Office Suites Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe