UK regulator the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has criticized Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, leading to further comments from the Xbox platform owner calling the the criticisms "misplaced." Back in January, Xbox announced that it intended to purchase Call of Duty and World of Warcraft publisher Activision Blizzard. This acquisition is set to cost Microsoft over $70 billion and would cause a huge shift in the gaming market according to many which has led to some big investigations into the deal.Back in February, the FTC announced that it was looking into Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. More recently, in September, the CMA voiced its concerns on the deal, stating that the acquisition of a large publisher such as Activision Blizzard could lead to some huge shifts in the gaming sphere, especially in regard to the competition of the market. According to the CMA, Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard would not only lead to a "substantial lessening of competition," but it could also lead to the "withholding or degrading" of Activision Blizzard content on non-Microsoft platforms.Now, Microsoft has responded to these comments by the CMA. Responding to the regulator's many concerns, Microsoft representatives stated that the CMA "adopts Sony's complaints without the appropriate level of critical review." This essentially accuses the CMA of following the critiques Sony holds for the Activision Blizzard. Microsoft backs up its claims by providing arguments of how it isn't currently the market leader in gaming and that Sony can adapt to increased competition.
Microsoft referenced Sony's leading position in the gaming market, something that it also showcased in a recently created website defending the Activision Blizzard deal. There's also a note to Sony's acquisition of Bungie, which also attempts to prove that Sony can adapt to an increased challenge in market dominance, according to Microsoft. Again, the Xbox owner stated in its response to the CMA that it plans to keep Call of Duty games on PlayStation consoles, something that was a major concern of many fans when the deal was first announced.
It is likely that it will be some time before the CMA responds to Microsoft's comments, but it is clear to see the Xbox owner isn't backing down on its Activision Blizzard deal without a fight. While some regulators like the CMA are criticizing the Activison Blizzard acquisition, other governments and bodies have approved it. Namely, Brazil's government recently gave the Microsoft deal the green light.