Sony "Welcomes" The UK Competition Regulator’s Additional Investigation Of Microsoft’s Activision Deal Citing "Major Negative Implications"

The story continues as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and their investigation into Microsoft’s possible acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been extended into a second phase. Sony and other investors are still concerned about the impact of this deal and the ramifications it could have on Sony’s ability to compete as Microsoft would gain complete ownership of the Call of Duty series.

The next phase of the investigation will appoint an independent panel to scrutinize the deal in detail and to evaluate the possibility and likelihood that such a deal could result in a substantial lessening of competition. There is no way to tell how long this phase could last, as the panel would want to make sure to be as thorough as possible due to just how large this deal is in the gaming industry.

While Microsoft has announced that the Call of Duty series will continue on PlayStation for ‘several more years,’ PlayStation still believes this deal to be inadequate.

Sony "welcomed" this additional investigation saying that the deal would have "major negative implications for gamers and the future of the gaming industry," while Microsoft told VGC that "It makes zero business sense for Microsoft to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation given its market leading console position.”

Buckle up, we could be here a while.