Live coverage of business, economics and financial markets as US tech company heavily criticises UK’s Competition and Markets Authority
So what does the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) say in response to Microsoft’s strident criticisms this morning?
Sarah Cardell, the CMA’s chief executive, said the decision to block the deal would be good for UK gamers and businesses. She also said there was “a lot of alignment” between the UK position and that of the US Federal Trade Commission, which is also considering whether to block the deal.
I really don’t agree with those comments at all. I think this decision shows how important it is to support competition in the UK, and that the UK is absolutely open for business. We want to create an environment where a whole host of different companies can compete effectively, can grow and innovate. That’s the best thing for UK consumers, and the best thing for UK businesses.
What we found was that Microsoft already is the most powerful cloud gaming platform.
Combining those two businesses would really reinforce Microsoft’s strong position in cloud gaming. And that would be problematic because it would really harm the ability of other competing cloud platforms to compete effectively and offer the kind of innovation and product choice that we want to see in this market.
