Microsoft"s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has raised many eyebrows since it was first announced early last year. However, it looks like the tech giant may get a break as the European Union is expected to approve the deal soon.
According to a new report from Reuters, the European Union is set to approve the acquisition next week, with May 15 being the likely date. According to the sources close to the matter, the EU antitrust watchdog will approve the acquisition after Microsoft agreed to license deals with cloud streaming rivals Nvidia, Boosteroid and Ubitus. Furthermore, Microsoft also confirmed that it will continue to bring Call of Duty to all the platforms, should the deal go through.
This comes just weeks after the UK regulator rejected the Microsoft Activision deal, citing cloud gaming concerns. The CMA stated that Microsoft controls about 70 percent of the cloud gaming market along with Windows and Azure. With the Activision acquisition, Microsoft will get "control over important gaming content such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft."
While the UK is not happy with the deal, other countries like Ukraine, Brazil and Japan have approved the deal. Activision, on the other hand, confirmed that it had hired a top lawyer to appeal the UK"s decision to reject the deal.
Source: Reuters