Microsoft are expanding their log of companies now with the news that their 69 billion dollar purchase of Activision / Blizzard has been approved by UK regulators.
After many delays by both competitors and regulators, it seems all issues have been resolved with Microsoft gaining control of the company and its massive list of franchises.
With this purchase Microsoft will now own the likes of Overwatch, Diablo, Call Of Duty, Candy Crush, World Of Warcraft, and many other games / franchises. Its already been stated too that games, at least for now, won’t become Xbox exclusives, but that in 2024 we will see start to see games added to Xbox Game Pass.
“In August this year Microsoft made a concession that would see Ubisoft, instead of Microsoft, buy Activision’s cloud gaming rights,” The CMA said in a press release. “This new deal will put the cloud streaming rights (outside the EEA) for all of Activision’s PC and console content produced over the next 15 years in the hands of a strong and independent competitor with ambitious plans to offer new ways of accessing that content.
“As a result of this concession, the CMA agreed to look afresh at the deal and launched a new investigation in August. That investigation has completed today with the CMA clearing this narrower transaction.
“The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers. It will allow Ubisoft to offer Activision’s content under any business model, including through multigame subscription services. It will also help to ensure that cloud gaming providers will be able to use non-Windows operating systems for Activision content, reducing costs and increasing efficiency.”
