Will Microsoft leave the UK? Brad Smith meets with the government over Activision takeover

We could say it’s the soap opera of the summer, but that would be an understatement. We’ve been following Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard King for a long time. Well, trying to get details on whether the acquisition will finally go through. Because we’re talking about a nearly $70 billion deal that would see all of Activision’s studios, games, and franchises become part of Xbox Game Studios.

As you know, the transaction has been stuck for weeks after the refusal of the British CMA, a regulatory body that has always refused to approve the purchase. A decision that did not sit well in Redmond, as we have seen the tech giant express its displeasure on several occasions through statements and comments on Twitter, usually through Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.

Brad Smith goes all in: meeting with the government and the option of leaving the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has emerged as the last major obstacle for Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard and put an end to all this, but things have been complicated by the CMA’s decision to block the deal. Days go by and while other countries such as China give the green light to the operation, the company is getting impatient, to the point that Brad Smith himself is going to meet with Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, with the intention of showing his discomfort and asking for explanations, according to Bloomberg.

Many users have wondered during these months if it is possible that Microsoft will decide to abandon the British market and go ahead with the purchase of Activision, and now it seems that it is a plausible option, according to the latest information on the matter. A move that even in Redmond is considered “extreme”, but has not been ruled out. The next few days will be crucial to see if the situation is finally resolved in some way.

Source | Bloomberg; via Tom Warren