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Europe allowed Activision deal, UK forbade and US is undecided



The deal is definitely going to monopolize the market, EC prefers to turn a blind eye



22.May.23 7:22 AM
By Abigail Richards
Photo Microsoft

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Europe allowed Activision deal, UK forbade and US is undecided

Microsoft may acquire Activision Blizzard according to the European Commission. The question remains whether the acquisition can continue. It is uncertain whether the authorities in the United Kingdom and the United States will also agree to the largest acquisition ever in the gaming industry.

As a condition of the approval, Microsoft has had to make some commitments. The European Commission was concerned about the remaining competition in cloud gaming after the acquisition.

Brussels has now agreed because Microsoft has promised to make Activision Blizzard's games, such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, also available through alternative platforms. According to the European Commission, this eliminates the objections.

Microsoft is one of the largest tech companies in the world and one of the three largest manufacturers of gaming computers. Activision Blizzard is one of the largest Game Studios. the software giant has 69 billion dollars left for the game developer.

Regardless of the judgment from Brussels, the takeover is already wavering. The British regulator CMA disapproved of the acquisition of Activision by Microsoft at the end of april. The watchdog thinks that Microsoft will gain too much power in the online games market after the acquisition.

Not all hope has been lost yet, as Microsoft has appealed that decision. But if the takeover is also rejected on appeal, the takeover cannot proceed anyway. Microsoft needs approval from the regulators of all countries where the company operates.
Americans have the same objections as Europe

The US regulator FTC is also critical. The watchdog launched an investigation into Activision Blizzard's game offerings in conjunction with Microsoft's Xbox game consoles in February.

It is being examined whether Microsoft could harm competitors through the acquisition, for example by restricting their access to the company's largest games. The FTC is investigating similar objections to the European Commission. The coming days will therefore be decisive whether the largest acquisition in the gaming industry will continue or bounce off.



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