UK halts Million Microsoft, Activision deal

The UK said it would block Microsoft’s US$69-billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard over concerns it would hinder competition in cloud gaming.

The country’s antitrust regulator said Microsoft’s commitment to offer access to Activision’s multibillion-dollar Call of Duty franchise to leading cloud gaming platforms would not effectively remedy its concerns.

Microsoft said in a statement it remained fully committed to this acquisition and would appeal.