Australia delays ruling on Microsoft merger

The ACCC delayed their ruling on the proposed $100b purchase of game company Activision Blizzard.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission announced that its decision regarding the proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition by Microsoft has been delayed pending receipt of information.

The original date for the ACCC to post its findings, which was September 15th, is now delayed to an undetermined point in the future. The ACCC stated that it will “announce a proposed decision date in due course.”

While we are unsure what information could be pending, it is not surprising that the ACCC is taking its time reviewing everything. Microsoft is attempting to purchase Activision Blizzard for $100 billion AUD, the largest sum in video game history.

This news follows an announcement from the UK’s antitrust authority last week, which stated that it intended to perform an “in-depth review” of the acquisition. Despite these hurdles, the two parties appear content with how the reviews are progressing. Activision CEO, Bobby Kotick, stated that he expects the deal to close around June 2023.

Call of Duty is the most popular shooter in the world, with nearly 100 million players. Picture: Activision

“We are fortunate to have already received approvals from a couple of countries, and the process with all of the regulators is generally moving along as we expected,” Kotick said. “As our industry continues to see numerous companies investing aggressively in gaming, including many of the world’s largest technology and media companies, government regulators are taking appropriate and deliberate steps to better understand our industry and the growing competition from around the world. “

The deal has already earned the seal of approval from countries like Saudi Arabia, which stated that it has “no objection” to the $100b Microsoft deal. If the acquisition goes through, Microsoft will own one of the largest gaming franchises in history with Call of Duty, alongside many other popular games, such as World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.

While normally a multi-platform game, Microsoft rival Sony is worried that Microsoft could make the Call of Duty series Xbox-only. To assuage these fears, Microsoft offered a three-year deal to Sony to keep Call of Duty available to PlayStation owners — a deal that PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has called “inadequate on many levels.”

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.