It is up to the regulators to decide

Microsoft She says she “really tried” to take UK regulators’ concerns seriously, ahead of launching her new takeover bid for Activision Blizzard – and it’s now up to regulators to decide whether that path is clear.

“I think we need to let regulators speak for themselves,” Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft, told CNBC in an exclusive interview. “They have decisions to make, especially in the UK, but from my point of view what we’ve really tried to do is take these concerns seriously.”

On Tuesday, Microsoft made a new bid to UK regulators to acquire US game publisher Activision Blizzard after its initial proposal was rejected.

Microsoft and Activision have agreed to a new, restructured agreement, which the UK Competition and Markets Authority will now investigate with a decision deadline of October 18th.

Regarding regulatory concerns, Smith said, “We didn’t try to ignore them. We didn’t try to downplay them. We didn’t try to ignore them.”

“We worked it out, and by working it out, we put together a deal that would boost competition, while removing concerns about the anti-competitive side that some people had,” he told CNBC’s Martin Song on the sidelines. affiliate Business Summit 20 in New Delhi.

“I think it’s up to the regulators, particularly now in the UK, to decide whether that path is clear,” he said in an interview broadcast on Monday.

UK regulators, the Competition and Markets Authority, said that under the new deal, Microsoft will not acquire the cloud rights to existing Activision PC and console games, or to new games released by Activision for 15 years.

Instead, the CMA added, French game publisher Ubisoft would acquire these rights prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision.

“For me, that’s not just a recipe for this deal,” Smith said.

“I think in the world of technology, whether we’re talking about software, hardware or pharmaceuticals, there are times when companies can come together to advance innovation, to produce better products, and there may be steps to be taken globally. At the same time to address concerns Regulatory.”