Microsoft’s Acquisition of Bethesda Has Been Approved by the EU

Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax media has been in the process of getting an approval by the relevant authorities, with the European Competition Commission having been in the process of reviewing the deal. The deal is now another step closer to completion, with the EU having approved the deal.

The EU has said in a statement (via VGC) that following its review of the proposed acquisition, it has concluded that the deal would “raise no competition concerns.”

“The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of ZeniMax Media Inc. by Microsoft Corporation,” the EU’s statement reads. “The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the combined entity’s limited market position upstream and the presence of strong downstream competitors in the distribution of video games. The transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure.”

Recently, the acquisition was also approved by regulators in the United States, while ZeniMax’s majority stakeholder Providence Equity also no longer lists the company under its active portfolios.

Recent reports have suggested that the finalization of the acquisition will be followed by an event held by Microsoft to discuss the future of Bethesda. Read more on that through here.