Microsoft files appeal against CMA block on Activision Blizzard merger
Nearly a full month after the CMA blocked its merger with Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is attempting to hit back.
Per Reuters, Microsoft filed an appeal to the country's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) on May 24 in an effort to get its $69 billion deal with the Call of Duty publisher to go through. The CAT handles appeals against CMA rulings, and only covers the merits of the regulator's original choice.
Exact contents of that appeal, such as the language used or the primary argument being used, have yet to be disclosed.
Following the CMA's initial blocking, the two game companies have had some choice words about the CMA's choice. But even with the dramatics, they said they would "aggressively" work to reverse this decision.
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, later expressed confidence in their endeavors, saying he was certain "the appeals process will work in our favor."
According to IGN, appeals against the CMA have a track record of being rejected. But a legal expert told the outlet that it was "rare, albeit not unprecedented" for challenges against the regulator to go through.
The appeal continues the ongoing legal saga between the CMA and Microsoft. Last month, the CMA blocked the merger with worries of how it would affect UK customers, particularly in regards to cloud gaming. At the time, Microsoft and Kotick dismissed those concerns, saying the cloud market wasn't that important to their larger goals.
During the month of May, things escalated even further after the CMA put an additional interim ban on the two companies. Under that ban, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard can't make moves to acquire the other (or their respective subsidiaries), or make a deal to be done later on, without first getting the
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