Microsoft says UK regulator an ‘outlier’ for blocking Activision deal

Microsoft on Tuesday accused Britain’s anti-trust regulator of being a global “outlier” in blocking its $69 billion takeover of “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) vetoed the deal in April, saying it could hurt competition in the nascent cloud gaming market, sparking a furious row.

The company is asking for an appeal, in which Activision wants to intervene, to be heard in July. Lawyers representing the CMA said in court filings that Microsoft’s appeal should be heard in September at the earliest.