LONDON (AP) — British competition regulators signaled Friday that Microsoft’s restructured $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard is…
British competition regulators signaled Friday that Microsoft’s restructured $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard is likely to receive antitrust approval.
The Competition and Markets Authority said the revamped proposal “substantially addresses previous concerns” about stifling competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming market, which frees players from buying expensive consoles and gaming computers by streaming games to tablets, phones and other devices.
The updated offer “opens the door to the deal being cleared,” the watchdog said, though there are lingering concerns. Microsoft has offered remedies that the watchdog provisionally decided will resolve those issues, and regulators are now getting feedback on those fixes before making a final decision.
The announcement shows the U.K. watchdog is closer to reversing its earlier decision to block Microsoft from taking over the maker of hit gaming franchises like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, removing a final obstacle for one of the largest tech transactions in history.
