Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is one step closer to closing, with the EU reportedly poised to approve the deal.
Microsoft announced a deal to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in January 2022. The deal triggered investigations on both sides of the Atlantic as regulators expressed concern over Microsoft — one of the top-three console makers — controlling one of the biggest gaming studios that’s responsible for some of the industry’s biggest titles.
The UK has launched a probe of the deal, the FTC sued to block the deal, and the EU has been ramping up its investigation.
According to Reuters, Microsoft’s recent licensing deals, guaranteeing Call of Duty will remain on other platforms for years to come, has convinced the EU to sign off on the deal.
The company says it is “committed to offering effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the European Commission’s concerns.”
“Our commitment to grant long term 100% equal access to Call of Duty to Sony, Steam, NVIDIA and others preserves the deal’s benefits to gamers and developers and increases competition in the market,” a Microsoft spokesperson added.
In September, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said he was “very, very confident” the deal would eventually be approved. It seems he may be right after all.