The president of Microsoft has met with the chancellor amid efforts to overturn the competition watchdog's decision to block its planned takeover of Activision Blizzard.that he would try to work with regulators to win approval for the technology giant's $69bn purchase of the Call of Duty creator, a government source told the Reuters news agency.
In April, British competition authorities blocked the takeover, which would have been the biggest merger the gaming industry has seen, over concerns it would harm competition in the cloud gaming sector.Smith, who has served as president of the Washington-based corporation since 2015, said at the time that the verdict would discourage investment and innovation in technology in the UK.
He told a conference hosted by techUK, the trade association, in London on Tuesday that he hoped the outcome would change. "I'm in search of solutions," Smith said, adding:"If regulators have concerns we want to address them. If there are problems, we want to solve them. If the UK wants to impose regulatory requirements that go beyond those in the EU, we want to find ways to fulfil them."