Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard appears to be facing more opposition. According to Politico, the European Union has issued a formal antitrust warning to Microsoft over the $68.7 billion deal.
Politico did not give exact details about the content of the warning, but they noted that in the “statement of objections,” EU officials “set out the reasons why the deal could threaten fair competition in the video game market.”
Microsoft spokesman David Cady said, “We are committed to the solution and finding a way forward for this deal. We are listening carefully to the [European Commission’s] concerns and believe we can address them.”
The European Commission launched an “in-depth investigation” into the deal in November, following an initial review in September.
“We must ensure that the future and existing distributors of PC and console games and rival suppliers of PC operating systems have a chance,” Margaret Vestager, the commission’s executive vice president for competition policy, said in a statement.
On top of that, the Federal Trade Commission has decided to sue Microsoft as a result, thus trying to block the deal.
