The CMA have paused their case against Microsoft & Activision Blizzard so they can re-negotiate with Microsoft for a potential solution for the UK market.
This is the CMA’s statement:
"We stand ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in our Final Report…
…In order to be able to prioritise work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and all parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."
So there is a pretty decent chance the deal will go through in the UK but not guaranteed just yet ofc. The CMA can obviously see the writing on the wall after the FTC lost against Microsoft.
Seems like Microsoft & The CMA have come to some sort of an agreement but the exact details of it is unclear currently. Just waiting for further deveopments of the story.
My personal guess is the UK will not have access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (cloud gaming), as that’s the CMA’s biggest concern regarding the merger deal.
You won’t have it either if SONY gets it’s way, SONY that well known paragon of sharing videogame titles across platforms and has never made a game exclusive for it’s own systems.
Amusing that SONY is concerned that titles like Call of Duty may not appear on their platform (of course it will, Microsft and Activision/Blizzard aren’t stupid) then decided to throw a tantrum by saying that they won’t release any future machine specs or development kits to game studios unless they get to have a game on their platform.
If anyone needs to be investigated for exclusive games, it’s SONY.
Also of interest, the latest game to come under the internet’s never judgemental spiteful eye, Starfield, was strongly rumoured to be originally a Playstation exclusive.
Also still waiting for God of War to appear on X Box…
Yeah it will certainly suck for those who use cloud gaming a lot if that turns out to be the case.
Personally I have never touched cloud gaming and I just want this to end already so I can continue playing WoW without the worry in the back of my head saying "CMA is gonna ruin my WoW and Overwatch fun "
Another option is simply no ABK games on the xCloud. Guess we’ll find out soon enough…
You know, I was hoping we could get rid of Bobby and not get Microsoft because these two really are a choice from hell. But like… apparently not.
If I know Microsoft they’re going to slowly strangle this studio to death through sheer incompetence. They’ll get funding, they’ll get autonomy, and they’ll be completely unable to reform the corporate structure which in turn is going to get restructured by Microsoft and everything is eventually going to blow up.
Exactly. Not just the OS either, things like Dynamics365 that a lot of businesses use to run pretty much everything through. If Microsoft was banned in the UK there would be bigger things to worry about than WoW not working.
And now we’ve got to ask an important question: is it okay that our government is using proprietary software where the company controls the user?
FSF member here, but an unusual one. I don’t mind proprietary software that’s under my control - that I can sandbox, or which is a service. But I don’t like it as my OS as my OS controls everything else, and now this OS is in control of government.
"BREAKING: the CMA is now warning that Microsoft’s Activision deal could “lead to a new merger investigation” if it’s restructured. The CMA says discussions with Microsoft are still at an “early stage.” https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1679103828929511424
Seems like the CMA is STILL trying to delay things. Considering that the deadline for the merger deal is on the 18th July, Microsoft & Acti Blizz could be tempted to give up with trying to work things out with the CMA/UK, and pull ABK games out of the UK market all together in order to get this deal closed as soon as possible.
It’s dark times to everyone. This merger is awful for the market.
Less people will have access to Activision Blizzard games, as they already do for Bethesda games due to the incompetence of Microsoft leadership. All this merger is for it to deny Sony those IP. No one actually gains anything.
I am strongly considering ending WoW if Microsoft acquires the company. I refuse to support monopolistic companies. Especially ones that don’t add anything to the market and just go around buying half of it so they can remove the competition they cannot beat on their own merit.
"