Microsoft Files Appeal Against UK Decision to Block Activision Blizzard Acquisition - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 24 May 2023 / 4,847 Views
Microsoft has filed its appeal to overturn the decision by the UK regulator, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), to block Microsoft's $67.8 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed to Bloomberg it has filed its appeal. The case will be heard by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) in the UK, which is expected to take several months.
The software giant has hired lawyer Daniel Beard KC, who is a "leading competition barrister" and in the past has "overturned multi-billion dollar penalties levied on Apple and Intel by the EU." He already worked with Microsoft in the late stages of hearing with the CMA, before the regulator blocked the deal last month.
A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed the company has formally filed its appeal against the UK antitrust watchdog’s decision to block its $69 billion Activision Blizzard deal. On Terminal.
— Katharine Gemmell (@kathgemm) May 24, 2023
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is also facing issues with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), who filed an antitrust lawsuit in December of last year.
The deal has been approved in 37 countries representing over two billion people. This includes China, the European Union, Ukraine, South Africa, Japan, Chile, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
