Regulators put the brakes on Microsoft’s Activision acquisition

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Microsoft’s $75 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard faces in-depth probes in Brussels and the UK following growing concerns the deal is anti-competitive and will exclude rivals from accessing the blockbuster game Call of Duty.

It comes as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is expected to launch an in-depth investigation this week after Microsoft decided not to offer any remedies at this stage, according to two individuals with knowledge of the situation.

Earlier this month, the CMA became the first global antitrust regulator to sound the alarm over the transaction, giving Microsoft five days to come up with undertakings that would resolve its worries or face an extended “phase 2” probe.