Synopsis The hearing will allow Xbox maker Microsoft to gauge the mood among senior EU and national competition officials and Commission lawyers ahead of the submission of remedies to address antitrust concerns. Reuters Microsoft President Brad Smith will on Tuesday seek to convince EU antitrust regulators at a closed hearing that the U. S. software giant's $69 billion bid for "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard will boost competition. Smith will lead a delegation of 18 senior executives, including Microsoft Gaming Chief Executive Officer Phil Spencer, while Activision will be represented by its CEO Robert Kotick according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. The hearing will allow Xbox maker Microsoft to gauge the mood among senior EU and national competition officials and Commission lawyers ahead of the submission of remedies to address antitrust concerns. Microsoft announced the acquisition in January last year to take on leaders Tencent and Sony , but has run into regulatory headwinds in Europe, Britain and the United States. Sony, which wants the deal to be blocked, is sending its gaming chief Jim Ryan. Alphabet's Google and chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp, which has a gaming business, will also be taking part in the hearing, the EU document showed. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories "The European Commission asked for our views in the course of their inquiries into this issue. We will continue to cooperate in any processes, when requested, to ensure all views are considered," a Google spokesperson said. Nvidia declined to comment. The European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), which has said the deal will allow Microsoft to challenge Apple, Google and Tencent, is one of the participants. Video game distributor Valve, video game publisher Electronic Arts and the German competition watchdog and its peers in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden will also be taking part in the event. Don’t miss out on ET Prime stories! Get your daily dose of business updates on WhatsApp. click here! Tuesday, 21 Feb, 2023 Experience Your Economic Times Newspaper, The Digital Way! Read Complete Print Edition » Front Page Pure Politics Companies ET Markets More Bourses Review Extension of Equity F&O Trade Hours Stock exchanges are reviving plans of longer trading hours for equity derivative contracts, said two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The National Stock Exchange (NSE), which is spearheading the effort, is in preliminary discussions with market participants to extend timings for stock futures and options (F&O) trading, they said. Govt Hopeful of Work Starting on at least One Semicon Unit by Yr end The Centre is hopeful that at least one among the “few” semiconductor manufacturing projects it expects to approve in 2023 will commence “ground-breaking” at its manufacturing unit by the year end, a top official told ET. Small Packs Fit Inflation-hit Urban Baskets With retail inflation on the rise again, packaged goods companies are pushing small packages even in urban markets across soaps, toothpaste, confectionery, coffee, soft drinks and detergents at kirana stores, modern trade and online platforms. These are already contributing 20-50% of sales, executives said. Read More News on microsoft activision deal commission nvidia microsoft xbox tencent sony Stay on top of technology and startup news that matters. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest and must-read tech news, delivered straight to your inbox. . . . more less ETPrime stories of the day Real Estate Interest rates are rising, so are rental yields. Is it the right time to invest in property? 8 mins read 3 insights to kick-start your day, featuring Swiggy’s “poor judgement” 3 mins read Strategy Stock Radar: Technical charts suggest HDFC Bank is likely to hit fresh record highs in next 3-6 months; time to buy? 3 mins read Subscribe to ETPrime.