Microsoft Closes Activision Blizzard Acquisition Following UK Approval

The deal, with a proposed worth of roughly $69 billion (earlier than changes primarily based on inventory worth), is lastly coming to fruition after it was first introduced in January 2022. It instantly went beneath the microscope of many market watchdog companies as it could have doubtlessly allowed Microsoft to monopolize massively common titles, particularly “Name of Responsibility.” During the last a number of months, Microsoft has gone to nice lengths to persuade and procure approval from regulators across the globe. In addition to authorities companies, Microsoft additionally confronted resistance from rivals, particularly Sony, claiming the acquisition would give the previous final authority over the “Name of Responsibility” franchise.

Microsoft swore to make Activision’s titles, particularly “Name of Responsibility,” accessible on all aggressive platforms — together with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo Swap — till 2030, revealed its gross sales figures for the primary time in almost a decade, and even conceded full defeat within the metaphorical “console wars” to make sure the deal is authorized in key markets worldwide. The UK CMA was the final main regulator stopping the deal, citing considerations about Microsoft’s monopoly within the cloud gaming phase following its finalization. Addressing these considerations, Microsoft restructured the deal in August 2023 and offloaded the cloud streaming rights for Activision’s video games onto Ubisoft. 

Whereas granting approval, the CMA notes the acquisition will likely be “topic to the situation that the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights completes previous to completion of the Merger.”