Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal gets global scrutiny

Microsoft’s plan to buy video game giant Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion could have major effects on the gaming industry,

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transforming the Xbox maker into something like a Netflix for video games by giving it control of many more popular titles.

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But to get to the next level, Microsoft must first survive a barrage of government inquiries from New Zealand to Brazil,

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and from U.S. regulators emboldened by President Joe Biden to strengthen their enforcement of antitrust laws.

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More than seven months after Microsoft announced the deal, only Saudi Arabia has announced its approval.

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In the United Kingdom, regulators on Thursday threatened to escalate their investigation unless both

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companies come up with proposals within five days to ease competition concerns.

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Microsoft has faced antitrust scrutiny before, mostly notably more than two decades ago when a federal judge

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ordered its breakup following the company’s anticompetitive actions related to its dominant Windows software.

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That verdict was overturned on appeal, although the court imposed other, less drastic, penalties on the company.

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