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How the Microsoft-Activision Deal Came Back From the Dead

23Aug

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Technology

How the Microsoft-Activision Deal Came Back From the Dead

[ad_1] If Microsoft Corp. completes its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the coming months, the $69 billion deal will go down as one of the biggest comeback stories in the history of mergers.By this past April, the gaming industry's biggest acquisition ever appeared doomed. US regulators had filed a challenge to the takeover and their counterparts in the UK had blocked it outright. But Microsoft resurrected the purchase earlier this summer, deploying what amounted to a bluff that pitted US and UK regulators against each another. And on Tuesday the UK agreed to open a fresh probe of the transaction, following an offer from Microsoft to sell the cloud rights of current and future Activision games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment SA. If the transaction clears t...

Activision’s CEO Calls UK Decision to Block $69 Billion Microsoft Deal ‘Irrational’

[ad_1] Activision Blizzard Inc. Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick called UK regulators' decision to block Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion acquisition of his company “irrational” and predicted the deal will ultimately win approval.In a Bloomberg Television interview, Kotick didn't say whether the companies would extend their purchase agreement beyond a July deadline. The pair are preparing their response to the UK decision, he said, adding, “I think the appeals process will work in our favor.” On Wednesday, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority decided the deal would give Microsoft an unfair leg up in cloud gaming, which involves streaming video games from data centers to a broad range of devices. Microsoft wouldn't have enough incentive to put Activision games like Call of Duty, O...

Microsoft’s bid to buy games giant faces triple anti-trust threat

[ad_1] Depending on which side you're on, tech giant Microsoft is either the hero fighting to bring some of the most popular video games to more people, or the villain on the brink of killing competition in the sector.The Xbox-owner has embarked on a campaign to convince all three EU, UK and US regulators to back its $69 billion bid to take over Activision Blizzard, owner of hit games "Candy Crush" and "Call Of Duty". The effort to create the world's third largest gaming company by revenue was launched last year but the company must now address concerns from all three regulators that if it takes control of such market-leading games it could stifle competition. Sony, which produces the bestselling PlayStation console, says the deal will give Microsoft the power to limit rivals' access to...