Microsoft, the owner of Xbox, is well on its way to overcome the final obstacle preventing it from taking control of Activision Blizzard’s popular video game factory, publisher of “Call of Duty,” “Diablo,” “Candy Crush.”
This mega-acquisition estimated at $69 billion is part of Microsoft’s costly bet to strengthen its position in gaming and help its successful Xbox console compete with Sony’s PlayStation. The UK competition authority, CMA, announced on Friday that it has given provisional clearance to the new acquisition agreement by American giant Microsoft of Activision Blizzard, publisher of the video game “Call of Duty.” In a statement, the CMA reports “limited remaining concerns” about this merger, for which Microsoft “has proposed solutions,” and the competition watchdog concludes “provisionally that these additional protections should resolve the remaining concerns.”
Process on track
The CMA said it has opened a “consultation until October 6 on the modifications proposed by Microsoft. Brad Smith, Vice President of Microsoft, responded on Twitter on Friday, stating that he is “encouraged by these positive developments in the CMA review process.” “This (provisional) approval from the CMA is crucial to finalize our merger,” added Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. The software giant had submitted an amended version of its colossal acquisition project to the British authority a month ago, hoping to finally obtain its approval after a refusal in April.
A marathon procedure
The software titan was notably planning in the new version of its colossal acquisition project to make notable divestments of Activision Blizzard’s online gaming rights – including those of the worldwide successes Call of Duty and Candy Crush – which will be sold to French company Ubisoft. The CMA, which had thwarted the plans of the American Goliath by blocking its operation in late April, fearing that it would excessively reduce competition in the market for digital games, then opened a new preliminary investigation. The halt caused by the CMA in late April to this mega-deal had triggered Microsoft’s anger, with Brad Smith denouncing that day as “the darkest in Microsoft’s four decades in Britain” and adding that it undermined the software giant’s trust in Britain as a welcoming place for tech companies. The European Commission had approved this acquisition in May.
Sami Nemli with agencies / Les Inspirations ÉCO
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