Buckle up, folks! Brace yourselves for a wild ride because a hilarious newsflash just dropped – Britain’s regulator just blocked down Microsoft’s plans to take over Activision Blizzard for a whopping $69 billion! Why, you ask? Oh, just because it would give the tech giant way too much control of the market for cloud-based video games! Yeah, no big deal.
Gotta love the surprise element that tickled the investors’ fancy because this decision came out of the blue, much like that one random sock you find hidden amongst your pile of laundry. Activision shares nose-dived 12 percent in a jiffy, while Microsoft was slow and steady, up 8 percent post an outstanding earnings report.
The Competition Markets Authority is in a mood to rain on Microsoft’s parade today; it seems! They decided that the deal could “undermine innovation” in cloud gaming because Microsoft owns the Xbox platform, and let’s face it, sharing is not their strongest suit. Despite their promise to let their rivals like Sony and Nintendo have access to their popular games, the regulator remained unimpressed.
A slight hint of shadiness seemed to be afoot as the regulator was quick to point out that combining forces could mean higher prices and limited choices for the consumers. They also felt that Microsoft was already doing pretty well for itself, owning up to a whopping 70% of cloud gaming, and didn’t need to be a greedy Gus and take over the competition. Martin Coleman, who chaired the investigation panel, exclaimed, “Microsoft already enjoys a powerful position and head start over other competitors in cloud gaming, and this deal would strengthen that advantage giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors.”
What a sassy little statement, right? But let’s be honest, Microsoft already had over two-thirds of the market. Just how much more they needed to ‘strengthen their position’ is anyone’s guess! Guess it’s all for the big profits, which are always just one happy merger away!

Serious News: nytimes