David Harper hears about Microsoft's $68.7bn (£55bn) deal to buy US video game company Activision Blizzard being blocked in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority. The proposed takeover would see Microsoft acquire such hit titles as Call of Duty and Candy Crush.
The Bank of England's top economist has said people in the UK need to accept that they ... Show More
May 2023
How Call of Duty Became Britain's Post-Brexit Battleground
Matt is away for the bank holiday, but in the meantime we have another guest episode from the team at Stories of Our Times - one remarkable story, told in depth, each day.
Microsoft has found itself in a bitter war of words with both its gaming rival Sony and the UK authorities o ... Show More
27m 35s
Oct 2023
How Microsoft bagged Activision Blizzard
In the 1990s, Microsoft was seen as a tech industry bully. Once viewed as combative and ruthless in the eyes of regulators, the company underwent an image makeover in the decades since. Now, the FT’s Richard Waters explains how Microsoft’s transformation pushed their $75bn acquis ... Show More
19m 3s
Nov 2022
How Will Gamers and Investors Respond to Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard?
In January 2022, Microsoft announced its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company, but it also exposes the company to several risks. First, the all-cash deal would requi ... Show More
18m 55s