With notable scrutiny of Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, there have been arguments on how this purchase may affect the market, specifically in the console space.

Microsoft have remained steadfast in saying this will not give them an unfair advantage over their competitors, namely Sony, as they do not plan on making the popular Call of Duty series exclusive to their platform.

They have even made steps to prove this by making agreements with Nvidia and Nintendo to bring the games to their own platforms/services.

Now a regulatory body in the UK’s CMA has provisionally admitted there would be no harm done to the market should this merger go through.

“Having considered the additional evidence provided, we have now provisionally concluded that the merger will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services,” the regulator said in a statement. “Because the cost to Microsoft of withholding Call of Duty from PlayStation would outweigh any gains from taking such action”.

This is the same regulator that was among the group who have attempted to block said acquisition, due to believing Call of Duty would end up becoming a console exclusive on Xbox. Microsoft is most certainly glad to see this change.

However, their investigation is not yet over and is planned on reaching completion sometime in April. Meanwhile other bodies such as the USA’s FTC are continuing their arguments against the merger.