The European Commission has reportedly probed rival gaming companies on Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard as it scrutinizes the deal.

EU regulators asked other game developers whether they think Microsoft could potentially block their access to Activision Blizzard’s games following the acquisition, Reuters reported Thursday, citing an EU document it saw. It also asked rivals whether the user data gained by Microsoft through the acquisition could give the US company a competitive advantage in console and computer games development and distribution.

Microsoft filed its proposed acquisition with the European Commission last week. The provisional deadline for whether the EU will clear the acquisition is Nov. 8.

“The European Commission’s review of the deal is progressing in line with the expected regulatory schedule and process, and we remain confident that the acquisition will close in fiscal year 2023,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNET in an emailed statement.

The takeover is also under scrutiny by regulators in the UKwith the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority saying last month it’s concerned Microsoft’s purchase of Activision could “substantially less competition“across the gaming industry.

“We are concerned that Microsoft could use its control over popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft post-merger to harm rivals, including recent and future rivals in multi-game subscription services and cloud gaming,” Sorcha O’Carroll, senior director of mergers at the CMA, said in a statement.

Microsoft said it’s ready to work with the CMA to address its concerns.

“Sony, as the

After earning a graduate degree from Syracuse University in 2009, Nick Shekeryk faced a total of $93,000 in student loan debt.

Then, last year, he accomplished something that tens of millions of borrowers from his generation haven’t been able to: He paid it all off.

His student loan journey had been anything but smooth up to that point. For over a decade, due to his high balance, monthly payments were eating up a considerable portion of his budget. Because of loan interest, he could barely make a dent in his principal, and couldn’t put money aside for savings or investments. The burden of debt was affecting his relationships, making it impossible to plan for the future. “I was prepared to deal with it for the rest of my life,” Shekeryk said.

Well into their adulthood, millennials are finding it impossible to achieve the financial milestones of their parents or grandparents. A 2018 study published by the Center for Household Financial Stability found that those born in the 1980s face the greatest risk of becoming the “lost generation” for accumulating wealth. Young adults today face declining mobility, decades of stagnant wages and broader economic uncertainty. Millennials also have the highest debt burden, making them especially susceptible to financial instability.

After meeting with a financial adviser in 2020, Shekeryk and his wife decided to take advantage of the pandemic-era pause on student loan interest and payments, and threw every spare penny at knocking down the balance to zero. “I’m fortunate to be