EU approves Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Under certain conditions.

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EU approves Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Under certain conditions

Foto: Microsoft

The EU Commission has decided to approve Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a deal that sees Microsoft buying the gaming company for $68.7 billion, making it the largest deal ever in the gaming industry.

However, in order for the purchase to be approved, the EU Commission has set a condition that Microsoft must license all cloud games from Activision Blizzard to other cloud gaming services that want the games on their platforms for at least ten years. The EU Commission writes in its decision:

To address the competition concerns identified by the Commission in the market for the distribution of PC and console games via cloud game streaming services, Microsoft offered the following comprehensive licensing commitments, with a 10-year duration:
* A free license to consumers in the EEA that would allow them to stream, via any cloud game streaming services of their choice, all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games for which they have a license.
* A corresponding free license to cloud game streaming service providers to allow EEA-based gamers to stream any Activision Blizzard's PC and console games.

The EU Commission's decision to approve Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes against the UK Competition and Markets Authority's decision last month to block the deal. The US Federal Trade Commission has also had concerns about the deal and is expected to make a decision on how they ultimately stand on the deal at the end of the summer.

ec.europa.eu

Games,

Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, EU Commission, cloud gaming, licensing commitments

37.0°