UK Regulator Upholds Decision to Block Microsoft's $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Buyout

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that it "still stands" by its decision to block Microsoft's $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard. Talks between the CMA and Microsoft are in their early stages, with a hearing scheduled for later this month. The CMA is open to a new investigation if the deal is restructured to address its concerns about stifling competition in the cloud gaming market. However, it is speculated that the CMA's resistance may be a face-saving measure, as it was counting on support from other regulators to block the deal, which has not materialized.