Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Will Reportedly be Approved by EU Regulator

A new report claims that the European Commission is unlikely to ask Microsoft to divest any Activision Blizzard assets to approve the deal.

Posted By | On 03rd, Mar. 2023

Xbox Activision Blizzard

It seems like the process of Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is entering its final stages. The deal is currently being investigated by regulatory bodies around the world, and as per a report by Reuters, one of them – the European Commission – is likely to greenlight it at the end of its ongoing investigation process.

The European Union regulator recently pushed back the deadline for providing a provisional conclusion of its investigation to late April, and as per the aforementioned Reuters report, that is likely to end with an approval. It’s claimed that that will happen without the European Commission requiring Microsoft to sell of any Activision Blizzard assets, which was one of several solutions proposed by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) when it found in its provisional conclusion that the proposed acquisition could “harm gamers”.

As per the report, Microsoft’s recent announcement of having agreed binding deals with Nvidia and Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to their platforms for at least the next ten years with full content and features parity is a factor in swaying the EU’s decision. That was shortly before a court hearing in which Microsoft defended its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard to the EU regulator.

Previously, the European Union had issued an antitrust warning to Microsoft regarding the pending acquisition.

In addition to the EU, the deal is also facing scrutiny from the US’ FTC and, as mentioned above, the UK’s CMA. As per analysts, the latter is also likely to eventually approve the acquisition, with the deal estimated to be closed by mid-May.


Amazing Articles You Might Want To Check Out!



Share Your Thoughts Below  (Always follow our comments policy!)



Keep On Reading!

The Last of Us Part 1 is Out Now on PC

The Last of Us Part 1 is Out Now on PC

Naughty Dog's remake of its 2013 classic is now available on Steam and the Epic Games Store, with exclusive fe...

Saints Row Expansions Coming in May, July, and August; New Districts Free for All Players

Saints Row Expansions Coming in May, July, and August; New Districts Free for All Players

The first expansion is The Heist and The Hazardous in May, which adds new campaign missions, weapons, vehicles...

Tekken 8 Trailer Showcases Jun Kazama, the “Light of Hope”

Tekken 8 Trailer Showcases Jun Kazama, the “Light of Hope”

Jin's mother returns after years of absence and uses the Kazama Style Traditional Martial Arts to cleanse the ...

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED Announced, Launches April 28th

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED Announced, Launches April 28th

A themed Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and Switch Carrying Case are also coming on May 12th for $74.99 and $2...

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Gameplay Reveals Sky Islands, New Abilities, and Much More

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Gameplay Reveals Sky Islands, New Abilities, and Much More

Along with confirming that development is complete, series producer Eiji Aonuma showcased several new features...

PS5 and Xbox Series X’s GPU Differences Will Become More of a Factor in a Year or Two – Caverns of Mars: Recharged Dev

PS5 and Xbox Series X’s GPU Differences Will Become More of a Factor in a Year or Two – Caverns of Mars: Recharged Dev

"In a year or two, when newer rendering approaches are developed, more rendering work will be expected to be p...