British regulators on Wednesday blocked Microsoft's US$69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard, thwarting the biggest tech deal in history over worries that it would stifle competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming market.
The all-cash deal faced stiff opposition from rival Sony and was also being scrutinized by regulators in the U.S. and Europe over fears that it would give Microsoft control of popular game franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.
Cloud gaming has the potential to change the industry by giving people more choice over how and where they play, said Martin Colman, chair of the Competition and Markets Authority's independent expert panel investigating the deal. "We're especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works," Smith said.
Regulators had dropped concerns last month that the deal would hurt console gaming, saying it wouldn't benefit Microsoft to make Call of Duty exclusive to its Xbox console.
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