Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard provisionally approved by the CMA – WGB, Home of AWESOME Reviews

It’s a good day for Microsoft a the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has “provisionally concluded” that Microsoft’s revised proposal to purchase Activision Blizzard should satisfy their requirements.

Microsoft’s attempt to purchase the Activision Blizzard has been a long and sometimes tedious affair, though one that has resulted in numerous leaks like new Xbox consoles launching next year, but it looks as though it may finally be coming to an end. After managing to defeat the American FTC, the CMA blocked Microsoft’s proposal, with one major roadblock being then fledgling Cloud market. The CMA felt that Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard would grant the company too much power in Cloud gaming.

In August, Microsoft countered the CMA’s concerns with a shocking move, promising to sell the Cloud streaming rights to all Activision Blizzard games released in the next 15 years to Ubisoft if the deal goes through. This would give Ubisoft the right to put Activision Blizzard games, such as Call of Duty, onto streaming platforms, including its own.

It seems like this is enough to satisfy the CMA, who today put out a press release release stating : “In contrast to the original deal, Microsoft will no longer control cloud gaming rights for Activision’s content, so would not be in a position to limit access to Activision’s key content to its own cloud gaming service or to withhold those games from rivals. Unlike the remedies the CMA previously rejected, Ubisoft will be free to offer Activision’s games both directly to consumers and to all cloud gaming service providers however it chooses, including for buy-to-play or multigame subscription services, or any new model for providing content that might emerge as the market develops. The deal with Ubisoft also requires Microsoft to port Activision games to operating systems other than Windows and support game emulators when requested, addressing the other main shortcoming with the previous remedies package.”

However, there are still a few potential issues: “the CMA has limited residual concerns that certain provisions in the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft could be circumvented, terminated, or not enforced.”

In the same statement the CMA says Microsoft has offered remedies to this that will ensure the CMA can enforce the sale to Ubisoft. According to the CMA, it believes these remedies will be enough to resolve their concerns.

So what does this all mean? The CMA’s investigations will remain ongoing until October 6th, at which point a final decision will be made. Currently, though, the deal seems to be all but certain to be approved provided nothing major suddenly pops up within the next few weeks. With the CMA appeased, Microsoft should finally be free to close on its purchase of Activison Blizzard, a deal which will give them the rights to the likes of Call of Duty, Candy Crush and more.