The British antitrust regulator (CMA) provisionally agreed to unblock the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard; That is why the purchase of the game manufacturer was suspended. The European Union and the United States approved the agreement, but the United Kingdom reconsidered its decision due to changes in its conditions.
The British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given preliminary approval to Microsoft’s purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard. The regulator announced this on its website.
Previously, it was the CMA that put the deal on hold. The department believed that the merger would strengthen Microsoft’s already dominant position in the market and give it control over the manufacturer’s main products: World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Overwatch.
Now the CMA has reviewed the decision due to changes to the terms of the agreement. In August, Microsoft agreed to transfer the right to distribute Blizzard games on cloud services to Ubisoft, which was the British regulator’s main complaint.
The European Union approved the merger in May and the United States Federal Trade Commission, after some complaints, also gave the green light to the deal.
Microsoft announced the purchase of Activision Blizzard in January 2022. If the deal goes through, it will become the largest in the history of the market: its amount is estimated at $68.7 billion.
Author:
Kirill Bilyk
Source: RB
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