The Competition and Markets Authority said the proposed acquisition would hurt competition in the videogaming industry (🔐read for free). Microsoft said it would appeal. The decision could prevent the deal from closing, legal experts say, because it wouldn’t be practical for a combined Microsoft-Activision to operate completely outside the U.K. market. The FTC and EU regulators are also scrutinising the proposal. Without Activision, Microsoft would be left with few comparable acquisition opportunities.