Despite having its $69 billion merger with Microsoft blocked by the CMA, Activision Blizzard president Bobby Kotick is confident the deal will win out in the end.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Kotick was quick to say that both companies were working to appeal the UK regulator’s decision, which he described as an “irrational” move. “I think the appeals process will work in our favor.”
His words were only somewhat less dramatic than those of Microsoft president Brad Smith, who called it “the darkest day” across the United Kingdom’s centuries-old history. The CMA said on Wednesday that it would block the merger, as Microsoft may “alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market” had it gone through.
In recent months, the Xbox maker has widened the range of its cloud gaming service, and the CMA thinks those moves could stifle the flexibility UK game consumers currently have.
Kotick told the outlet that the CMA’s concerns over the cloud market were unfounded, as it’s an “inconsequential part of the business. Microsoft made it very clear that they were willing and will continue to offer cloud gaming content to any cloud provider,” said Kotick.
It’ll be possible for players to access games outside of cloud means, he added, and the mobile market was a larger part of the games business. Microsoft hasn’t eally delved into the mobile space though it seems to have its eye on that market, and wants Activision Blizzard’s help in breaking in.
Regardless of where Microsoft chooses to do its business, Kotick’s comments to Bloomberg try their hardest to sell the merger between it and Activision Blizzard as a net positive. “There is an enormous amount of talent at Microsoft, that if we were to have access to, would allow us to grow even better,” he said.
The merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard has a deadline of July 18 to go through, though Kotick didn’t say if an extension was on the table. That may all depend on what happens next with the appeal.