The European Union, through the European Commission, has now approved the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The decision comes after the UK regulator (CMA) blocked the merger a few weeks ago, putting the deal at risk. Microsoft needs support from other major markets (mainly Europe and the USA) to be able to secure the purchase.
The official statement states that the decision is conditional on Microsoft fulfilling the agreements and promises that the company has made to other major players in the cloud gaming market, and that it does not see any hint of a monopoly. The EU also adds that “Microsoft would have no incentive to refuse to distribute Activision’s games to Sony, which is the leading distributor of console games worldwide, including in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’)”.
In the same report, the Commission explains its commitments to its licenses in all EU territories:
- 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.
