Microsoft’s troubles with its Activision Blizzard deal are about to get worse, with the EU poised to give the company an antitrust warning.
According to Reuters, the European Commission is preparing to serve Microsoft an antitrust warning over concerns about its effort to purchase Activision. Microsoft announced plans to purchase the game studio in January 2022, a deal worth $68.7 billion.
Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have expressed concerns that Microsoft could use Activision to further its position in the PC gaming market, as well as the broader PC market. The UK has launched a challenge to the deal and the FTC has sued to block it.
Microsoft has evidently been open to remedies in an effort to win EU approval, but Reuters reports that the EU is not open to discussing remedies until after it delivers its charge sheet in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Microsoft remains hopeful it can satisfy concerns and move forward with the deal.
“We’re continuing to work with the European Commission to address any marketplace concerns,” the company says. “Our goal is to bring more games to more people, and this deal will further that goal.”
