Microsoft has cleared one major hurdle in its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The UK CMA recently updated its provisional findings stating that it does not find a significant reduction of competition if Microsoft eventually makes Call of Duty an Xbox-exclusive title.
The UK Competition and Markets Authority announced that it had updated the provisional findings on the merger between Microsoft and Activision after receiving new evidence that assuaged some of its concerns.
The anti-trust regulator initially found that Microsoft would unfairly benefit from making Call of Duty an exclusive title. The competition watchdog suggested that Microsoft divest the portion of Activision Blizzard that dealt with the Call of Duty franchise to have the deal approved.
"Provisional findings are a key aspect of the merger process and are explicitly designed to give the businesses involved, and any interested third parties, the chance to respond with new evidence before we make a final decision," Martin Coleman, chair of the independent panel conducting the CMA investigation said.