EU regulator extends deadline for decision on Microsoft-Activision merger

On Wednesday, 1 March, the EU competition regulator announced that it had decided to postpone its previous deadline for a decision on Microsoft's deal with Activision Blizzard until 25 April.

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The move comes a day after EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said global regulators should not compete to be the first to reach a conclusion on such large deals.

Last month, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that Microsoft's deal with Activision could reduce competition and "lead to higher prices, less choice or less innovation" for players. However, the commission also said it would take into account Microsoft's behavioural measures, such as making Call of Duty available on all platforms. Also, in December, the US Federal Commission announced plans to file a lawsuit to block the merger, so it seems that the situation is not in Phil Spencer's favour for now.

Source: videogameschronicle.com