EU Launches ‘Phase 2’ Probe into Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

The European Commission—the regulatory body for the European Union—has announced that it is kicking off an in-depth probe into Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The European Commission has announced that this is a ‘phase 2’ of its investigation into the deal, stemming largely from concerns over competition in the market.

“The Commission is concerned that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and personal computers (‘PCs’) video games and for PC operating systems,” said the European Commission.

The probe comes in light of reports from earlier this month about a deeper investigation into Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision Blizzard owing to the former having missed the deadline for filing its solutions regarding EU’s concerns about the deal.

UK’s regulatory body has also been investigating the acquisition because of concerns that the merger could mean less competition among gaming platform owners. Microsoft has rebuked these concerns, stating that Sony’s refusal to allow Game Pass on PlayStation harms the market.