Microsoft revamps deal for video game maker Activision Blizzard to meet UK demands

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft has revamped its bid to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard to appease British competition regulators. They are the last major hurdle to closing one of the biggest deals in tech history. The Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that it’s opened a new preliminary investigation into the updated transaction with a deadline for a decision due on Oct. 18. Xbox maker Microsoft has been on a quest to acquire Activision, maker of the popular Call of Duty game franchise, since announcing the $69 billion deal in January 2022. The blockbuster deal has secured approvals from antitrust authorities covering 40 countries but it has been held up in Britain.