Microsoft’s deal for Activision hinges on blockbuster Call of Duty

The UK competition regulator told Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday that it has serious reservations about the company’s pending acquisition of video game publisher Activision Blizzard, but that one way to assuage those concerns would be to divest blockbuster franchise Call of Duty.

While Microsoft has said it’s determined to get the $69 billion deal done, hiving off Call of Duty, one of the most lucrative game franchises in the world, would likely call into question the economics of the transaction.

A new game in the 20-year old series comes out every year. Across the lifetime of the franchise, Call of Duty sold more than 425 million units and brought in more than $30 billion in revenue,