Microsoft and UK regulators pause feud to discuss Xbox deal
What a nightmare it is when the entire gaming industry turns on its head on a random Tuesday evening. July 11 saw the final ruling from America that Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard is permitted to go on from the country's perspective.
This should mean Microsoft can now go ahead and secure the company, but one final roadblock lies in its way - the UK regulator didn't like the idea of the buyout. As such, the Xbox giant will have to bend to its caveats if it wants to snatch the company up now.
That is, of course, unless both sides can meet some kind of understanding. And it looks like the UK regulator is willing to hear Microsoft out.
The feud between UK regulators and Microsoft has paused
It seems the recent American ruling has pumped the brakes on the UK's fuss, as it looks as though the UK's Competition and Markets Authority has agreed to hear Microsoft out regarding its purchase of Activision Blizzard.
Their legal battle has been officially paused so that the two can negotiate. After the CMA moved to block the buyout in April, it's surprising that UK's gaming regulator would do such a thing, but the pressure was mounting as more and more countries approved the union.
"After today's court decision in the U.S., our focus now turns back to the UK," says Microsoft president Brad Smith on Twitter. "While we ultimately disagree with the CMA's concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA.
"In order to prioritize work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."
The UK's CMA is 'ready to consider' Microsoft's deal
Click to enlargeIn a separate statement, the UK's CMA confirmed with The Verge that it's willing to hear Microsoft out when it comes to picking up the industry giant.
It stated to the site that it's "ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in our Final Report." Although both sides will likely have their own demands, both are locked in a potential stalemate unless they can agree.
With any luck, a final decision could be made soon, and this whole nightmare could be over. No matter which side of the fence you sit on, there's no denying that it's gonna feel good to see the backside of the deal so we can finally move on and get back to playing games.
