We were still running low on nougat and shortbread from last Christmas, when Microsoft left us speechless with the announcement of its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard and King, operations worth nearly $70,000 million Of course, from the first moment it was clear to us that it would have to go through a particularly large wheel of microscopes, both from the industry itself and from the regulatory authorities. A lot of red lights, some of which have already changed color like the current shareholders, but others still do not allow passage.

One of the key steps in this process is that of complying with European regulators. And they are in many cases “harder” than in other jurisdictions. In other words, if Europe approves the operation, in many cases it can be interpreted as a sign that the process will prosper. It is not clear to me that this is the case in this respect, because those of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are joined by those of Sonywhich points in the opposite direction given that this acquisition could negatively impact PlayStation.

Along those lines, Microsoft said shortly after the purchase was announced that Call of Duty would continue to reach PlayStation beyond what was signed between Sony and Activision Blizzard at the time. In spite of Sony started production lobby practically immediately about regulators, which forced a response from Microsoft in mid-summer. And of course, given the recognized importance of Call of Duty to your console, Microsoft’s proposals are considered inadequate by the Japanese tech company.

And right at this point according to Reuters European antitrust regulators are trying to determine whether Microsoft will restrict or prevent games published by Activision Blizzard, among them Call of Duty, from reaching its competitors.. And how does he do it? Well, with consultation with companies in the field. A question that addresses several points, such as Microsoft’s policies regarding the sale of games through Redmond’s digital stores, but also, of course, what would happen if Microsoft decided to make the Activision Blizzard catalog exclusive to Xbox.

They don’t have much room for such research, yes must make a preliminary decision by November 8 on whether to approve the acquisition, although it will not be the last step on the old continent, as the European Commission is expected to launch an investigation, which is expected to last four months, after the regulators’ comments.