EU regulators have approved Microsoft’s $69bn (£55bn) attempt to purchase Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard. The European Commission (EC) said Microsoft had addressed their concerns on competition issues.
It comes three weeks after the UK blocked the deal over worries it would hurt competition in the emerging cloud gaming business. The proposed takeover is poised to be the biggest deal in gaming history but has split global regulators.
In order for the deal to go through Microsoft and Activision need approval from regulatory bodies in the UK, EU and the US. The US Federal Trace Commission filed a lawsuit in December to block the deal – a judge’s decision is unlikely before the end of the year.
The EC have approved the acquisition, saying that Microsoft’s offer of 10 year free licensing deals – which promise European consumers and cloud game streaming services access to Activision’s PC and console games – mean there would be fair competition in the market.
“The commitments fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission and represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming as compared to the current situation,” the EU competition watchdog said in a statement.
It said an in-depth market investigation indicated that Microsoft “would not be able to harm rival consoles and rival multi-game subscription services”.
And it said cloud game streaming service providers “gave positive feedback and showed interest in the licences”, with some having already entered into agreements with Microsoft based on their proposals.
Reacting to the European Commission’s statement, CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said they stood by their decision.
“Microsoft’s proposals, accepted by the European Commission today, would allow Microsoft to set the terms and conditions for this market for the next 10 years,” she added.
“They would replace a free, open and competitive market with one subject to ongoing regulation of the games Microsoft sells, the platforms to which it sells them, and the conditions of sale.
“This is one of the reasons the CMA’s independent panel group rejected Microsoft’s proposals and prevented this deal.”
The deal is important for Microsoft who are trying to play catch-up with its main competitors Sony. They have been the more successful of the two in recent years when it comes to sales in the console market.
However, this attempted massive investment from Microsoft can been seen as a play for the future of games rather than its present. Microsoft is betting big on its Gamepass service, which can be described as a Netflix of games.
This deal would give it control of some of the world’s most popular games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Overwatch. Being in charge of titles like that could be a big boost to the service. Source: BBC
