TechDigits

Tech news
Tuesday, Mar 28, 2023

Microsoft's £50.5bn acquisition of Call of Duty firm to be scrutinised by UK watchdog

Microsoft's £50.5bn acquisition of Call of Duty firm to be scrutinised by UK watchdog

If the deal is approved by regulators it would make Microsoft the third-largest gaming firm in the world by revenue, however many competition authorities are currently investigating it.
Microsoft's proposed acquisition of the the troubled Call of Duty and Candy Crush gaming firm Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn (£50.5bn) is being investigated.

The all-cash takeover would give the Xbox maker a leap into the mobile gaming sphere and "play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms", according to Microsoft boss Satya Nadella.

If the deal is approved by regulators it would make Microsoft the third-largest gaming firm in the world by revenue, however many competition authorities are currently investigating it.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will be engaging with its counterparts around the world "as appropriate" and will aim to issue a decision in its Phase 1 investigation after 40 working days, or 1 September.

At the end of the Phase 1 investigation the CMA will have decided whether the merger might harm competition - if this is the case then it will have to launch an in-depth Phase 2 assessment.

Activision's shares had slumped by almost 40% since hitting a record high last year after allegations of widespread sexual harassment and other misconduct came to light.

Microsoft said that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick - who had even faced calls to quit from staff over his handling of the claims - would continue in the role.

Activision said that while its work to address the problems was continuing, it had fired or pushed out more than 36 staff and disciplined another 40.

Microsoft's move was seen as giving it the edge over fierce console rival Sony - maker of the PlayStation - because of its extended library of games.

Its gaming investments in recent years have included the $7.5bn acquisition of Minecraft maker Mojang Studios.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TechDigits
Close
0:00
0:00
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
A brief banking situation report
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Charlie Munger, calls for a ban on cryptocurrencies in the US, following China's lead
First generation unopened iPhone set to fetch more than $50,000 at auction.
Almost 30% of professionals say they've tried ChatGPT at work
Interpol seeks woman who ran elaborate exam cheating scam in Singapore
What is ChatGPT?
Tesla reported record profits and record revenues for 2022
Microsoft is finalising plans to become the latest technology giant to reduce its workforce during a global economic slowdown
Tesla slashes prices globally by as much as 20 percent
After Failing To Pay Office Rent, Twitter May Sell User Names
FTX fraud investigators are digging deeper into Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle – and reportedly have ex-engineer Nishad Singh in their sights
TikTok CEO Plans to Meet European Union Regulators
U.S. Moves to Seize Robinhood Shares, Silvergate Accounts Tied to FTX
Coinbase to Pay $100 Million in Settlement With New York Regulator
FTX assets worth $3.5bn held by Bahamas securities regulator
Former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried finally arrested in Bahamas after U.S. files charges
Corruption works: House Financial Services Chair Waters doesn't plan to subpoena her donor, Sam Bankman-Fried, to testify at hearing on FTX collapse
Yellen hints at ‘national security’ probe into Twitter purchase
Elon Musk reinstates Donald Trump's Twitter account.
George W. Bush and Barack Obama will hold back-to-back disinformation conferences
Solar + Powerwall ensures you never lose power, even if the grid goes down
This man paid for strangers' grocery and it moved them to tears
Meta introduces a new version of Mark Zuckerberg
Virtual Reality on billboards: BMW advertisement on Times Square
Apple CEO Tim Cook says coding should be taught as early as elementary school: 'It's the most important language you can learn'
Apple Executive Resigns After Viral TikTok Shows Him Making Crude Jokes
Huawei is not only better technology, but also protecting users better: Apple Warns Of Security Flaw For Iphones, Ipads And Macs
Mark Zuckerberg warns many teams will ‘shrink’ as Meta revenue drops
Elon Musk reportedly begged for forgiveness after his affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brin's wife
J.P. Morgan’s wealth management guru has some advice for recent college graduates on managing money and building wealth
Pentagon widens scope of UFO-hunting unit
Bezos' girlfriend Lauren Sanchez gives $1M to group focused on migrant kids at US-Mexico border
Hong Kong gets its first metaverse churches with avatars and virtual preachers
The ‘Dirty Quid Pro Quo’ Between Democrats and Big Tech
×