The European Union has approved Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard. The ruling accepted that the deal won’t stifle competition for popular console titles like Call of Duty and the US tech company’s remedies to boost competition in cloud gaming. The acquisition, sweetened by Microsoft’s promises to automatically license Activision games to cloud gaming platforms, “would no longer raise competition concerns and would ultimately unlock significant benefits for .
The European Union has approved Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard. The ruling accepted that the deal won’t stifle competition for popular console titles like Call of Duty and the US tech company’s remedies to boost competition in cloud gaming. The acquisition, sweetened by Microsoft’s promises to automatically license Activision games to cloud gaming platforms, “would no longer raise competition concerns and would ultimately unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers,” said the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm and top antitrust watchdog.The all-cash deal announced more than a year ago has been under scanner around the world over fears that it would give Microsoft and its Xbox console complete control of Activision’s hit franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.Following its review, the European Commission dismissed the possibility that Microsoft would cut off its games from PlayStation, saying that excluding the most popular gaming console would put a big dent in its profits.
