The cheap shot from MS about the EU was particularly juvenile. They can't seriously expect a more generous hearing from the bloc that has repeatedly hit big US

The cheap shot from MS about the EU was particularly juvenile. They can't seriously expect a more generous hearing from the bloc that has repeatedly hit big US tech firms with regulations and disguised taxation over the past few years than from the relatively business-friendly UK. They're just hoping to put some kind of pressure on the government in the UK because Brexit makes comparisons between the business environments in the UK and EU a touchy subject right now. Given that it wasn't even the UK government who made the call here that probably won't achieve much. Would the UK government really change the fundamental rules of the game to override the CMA just because the regulator did its job? Doesn't seem likely. Literally all of the commentary I've seen about this from any source not connected to Microsoft or Activision is taking the view that it was the right call by the regulator.