As in the course of yesterday already reported, the UK Competition and Market Authority (CMA for short) wants to thoroughly examine the nearly $69 billion acquisition of California-based publisher Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.

According to the CMA, there are fears that the takeover could have a negative impact on free competition. According to freshly published documents from the Competition and Market Authority, the competition authorities in the UK believe that a possible takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft could weaken Sony in particular, or the market position of PlayStation.

According to the report, Microsoft’s already strong position in the field of consoles, PC operating systems and cloud technology, combined with attractive Activision Blizzard brands such as “Call of Duty,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch” and “World of Warcraft,” could impair the competitiveness of Sony – Microsoft’s closest gaming competitor.

Call of Duty once again the sticking point

As the CMA’s competition watchdogs explain, Sony still has the larger market share. However, a possible Xbox exclusivity of the “Call of Duty” series could cause numerous customers to reconsider their purchase decision in the future and switch platforms. At the same time, an Xbox exclusivity of the shooter series would have a noticeable negative impact on Sony’s or Sony Interactive Entertainment’s sales.

“This impact is likely to be felt most at the launch of the next generation of consoles, where gamers will make a new decision as to which console to buy. The CMA believes that the merger could therefore significantly weaken Microsoft’s closest rival, to the detriment of overall competition in console gaming,” the CMA added.

As it was reported this week, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have five business days in the UK to address the Competition and Market Authority’s concerns. Otherwise, the CMA will convene an independent panel to investigate whether and in what way the Activision Blizzard acquisition could affect free competition.

At least when it comes to the “Call of Duty” series, Microsoft sees no problems, as the company this week once again assuredthat the upcoming spin-offs of the series will continue to be released simultaneously for the PlayStation systems.