This week"s blockage of Microsoft"s planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the UK is not stopping its approval in other parts of the world. On Thursday, the deal got a thumbs up from Ukraine’s Antimonopoly Committee.
The approval, as reported by VGC, stated that the committee did not think the deal would cause any problems with competition in the gaming industry in that country. Microsoft has already received approval of the deal to buy Activision Blizzard in other countries, including Brazil, South Africa, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
However, Microsoft got a big and unwelcome surprise on Wednesday when the UK"s Competition and Markets Authority blocked the deal in that country. The CMA said such a deal would give Microsoft an anti-competitive edge in the small but growing cloud gaming market. Microsoft said it would appeal the CMA"s decision.
The European Union still has until May 22 to give its approval or disapproval of the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard acquisition. Also, the US Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against the deal which could go to trial later in 2023.