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’s appeal against the decision is likely to be heard in late July, a judge at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) indicated on Tuesday.

Microsoft’s lawyer Daniel Beard told the CAT: “If this process does not move forward quickly, it jeopardises this merger being completed.”