Microsoft’s planned $69 billion acquisition of game maker Activision Blizzard looks to be likely going ahead.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, the last agency that must sign off before Microsoft can complete the acquisition, says the companies have taken action that “substantially addresses” concerns over antitrust issues.
The regulator famously tried to block the deal initially, claiming it would undercut competition in the blossoming cloud gaming sector.
Since then Microsoft agreed not to purchase a part of Activision’s business associated with cloud gaming, and to transfer the cloud streaming licensing rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard games to rival publisher Ubisoft Entertainment.
The C.M.A. says in a statement that the restructured deal “makes important changes that substantially address the concerns it set out” regarding the original transaction earlier this year.
The regulator will hold a ‘consultation’ through October 6th before making a final decision on whether to approve the deal. If they do, the companies say they intend to close the deal by October 18th.
Source: The New York Times
