London, UK: UK regulators have approved Microsoft’s revised offer to purchase Activision Blizzard, the creator of Call of Duty. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stated that the concerns have been addressed in the revised deal, following the rejection of the initial $69 billion bid in April 2023.
The approval came at the end of a nearly two-year battle to finalize the largest takeover in the gaming industry’s history. Even though they approved the acquisition, the CMA had some criticism for Microsoft’s conduct.
Following the competition watchdog’s rejection earlier this year, Microsoft’s president, Mr. Brad Smith, criticized the CMA, stating that their decision was dangerous to Britain.
“Businesses and their advisors should be in no doubt that the tactics employed by Microsoft are no way to engage with the CMA,” CMA chief executive Ms. Sarah Cardell said.
“Microsoft had the chance to restructure during our initial investigation but instead continued to insist on a package of measures that we told them simply wouldn’t work. Dragging out proceedings in this way only wastes time and money,” Ms. Cardell added.
In the revised agreement, Microsoft will transfer the rights to distribute Activision’s games on consoles and PCs via the cloud to the French video game publisher Ubisoft.
The CMA mentioned that the updated agreement would maintain fair prices in the gaming industry and offer increased options and improved services
Before getting approval, the deal that made Microsoft the owner of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Candy Crush couldn’t be completed worldwide.
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