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Ryuu96 on 19 May 2023
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Barozi said:
Ryuu96 said:

Based on what I've gathered from conversations with those who know more, they can't close the deal without CMA's approval, it's a written requirement in the contract, they can't close the deal on certain countries and not on others, it's all or nothing. They can remove CMA's approval requirement but would face massive fines from the UK. They can't spinoff Activision-Blizzard as an independent entity without CMA's say so and they can't get CMA's say so until it goes through CAT and back to CMA again where they once again negotiate concessions (behavioural or structural).

They can't force FTC's hand without first getting through CMA basically.

Question is: would that fine be higher than what MS already has to pay to Activision when the deal doesn't succeed?

Wasn't that already a couple of billions?

Forgot how much exactly but when I saw someone post it in the Era thread it was a lot from what I remember, talking billions and it would be repeated fines until compliance. If Microsoft ignores the CMA and goes ahead then they would be fined by the UK and barred from operating and doing business in the UK at all, not just Activision-Blizzard/Xbox but the entire Microsoft business. CMA has the power to impose fines or bar companies from doing business if regulatory actions are ignored.