Bobby Kotick: This “is by no means the last word” on the purchase of Activision Blizzard King

As we reported yesterday afternoon, the UK CMA has decided to block the purchase of Activision Blizzard King, something Microsoft says it will appeal. Now the CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotickhas shared his opinion on the decision and says he is “far from the last word”:

“This is not the news we wanted, but it is far from the last word on this deal.

Together with Microsoft, we can and will challenge this decision and have already started working to appeal it to the UK Competition Court of Appeal. We are confident in our case because the facts are on our side: this deal is good for competition.

The UK hopes to increase its leadership position in technology, and a Microsoft-Activision combination would do just that. At a time when the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence are thriving, we know that the UK market would benefit from Microsoft’s strength in both domains, as well as our ability to put those technologies to use immediately. On the contrary, if the CMA’s decision stands, it would stifle investment, competition and job creation throughout the UK gambling industry.”

Kotick also states that this deal would ultimately be good for almost everyone involved, and the players as well:

“We will continue to press our case because we know this merger will benefit our employees, the entire UK tech workforce and gamers around the world.”