Britain takes aim at Microsoft's $69bn 'Call of Duty' deal

The Competition and Markets Authority said the deal could result in higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation for millions of players as well as stifling competition in cloud gaming

The Competition and Markets Authority said Activision's flagship "Call of Duty" franchise was important in driving competition between consoles, and Microsoft could benefit by making the game exclusive to Xbox, or only available on PlayStation under materially worse conditions.

The UK placed another hurdle in the way of Microsoft's $69bn (€64bn) mega-purchase of "Call of Duty" games maker Activision Blizzard, saying it could harm gamers by weakening the rivalry between Xbox and Sony's PlayStation.

The Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, said the biggest-ever deal in gaming, announced a year ago, could result in higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation for millions of players as well as stifling competition in cloud gaming.