Microsoft offered to buy Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal last January, but it is still facing various issues and is not finalized. The last obstacle comes from the EU commissions, which are not convinced that the acquisition could benefit the market.
According to people familiar with the matter, the EU antitrust commission has serious concerns and is preparing a statement of objections against the deal. The commission set April 11 as the deadline for its final decision on the deal.
Here’s what Microsoft had to say about it:
We continue to work with the European Commission to address any market issues. Our goal is to bring more games to more people and this deal will contribute to that goal.
Rumors suggest that Microsoft and the EU antitrust are having informal talks on the deal and Microsoft is trying to offer some guarantees to speed up the takeover process, but the European Commission is insisting on sending its so-called charge sheet first.
Additionally, the US Federal Trade Commission is going to court to block the deal, UK regulators are voicing their concerns, and even Sony is wary of the deal. The Japanese firm fears that Call of Duty, among other games, will be made exclusive to Xbox and PlayStation users will no longer be able to access them.
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