UK antitrust regulator: We await new Microsoft proposal on Activision deal

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[July 20, 2023]  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's antitrust regulator is waiting for Microsoft to submit a modified deal structure to buy "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard, its boss Sarah Cardell said on Thursday.  

Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard's games characters in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

"We understand from Microsoft that they would like to put forward proposals to us to restructure the deal, potentially re-notifying that deal, to address our competition concerns," she told Sky News. "If they do that we will consider those restructured proposals carefully."

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the $69 billion deal in April over concerns about its impact on competition in the cloud gaming market.

It has been left increasingly isolated in opposition after U.S. regulator, the FTC, failed to block it in court last week, and the CMA has taken the unprecedented step of reopening talks.

Cardell said any new proposal put forward by Microsoft would "need to fully and comprehensively resolve our concerns".

(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Sarah Young and Kate Holton)

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