Despite yesterday’s statement by the CMA about its readiness to suspend the conflict with Microsoft and discuss the terms of the deal to purchase Activision Blizzard, today the regulator issued a statement of a completely different nature.
According to The Verge, which received a letter from the CMA, the discussion is still at an early stage, and the regulator itself does not plan to remove the blocking of the transaction in its — British — jurisdiction.
Moreover, the CMA noted that the parties to the transaction (that is, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard) do not have the right to propose new solutions on aspects of concern to the regulator, since the final version of the report reviewing the contract has already been published by them.
However, according to the CMA letter, the parties may restructure the transaction, which, in turn, will lead to the need for a new investigation.
In other words, the regulator is not very ready to negotiate at this stage, although it does not deny the fact of negotiations. Moreover, he notes that, like Microsoft, he asked the court to suspend consideration of the appeal in the case in order to be able to discuss new conditions.
If the parties do not agree, then Microsoft will probably be forced to ignore the CMA’s decision, which, in turn, will lead to the withdrawal of Activision Blizzard from the UK.