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Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition gets preliminary approval from CMA

The CMA says Microsoft has remedied its concerns, but a final decision will come next month.

Donovan Erskine

September 22, 2023 7:06 AM

Microsoft

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As Microsoft fights to secure its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, one of the major hang-ups on closing the deal has been pushback from UK regulators. The CMA has objected to the deal primarily due to the potential for Microsoft to monopolize the cloud gaming business. Microsoft restructured the deal to not purchase Activision’s cloud gaming rights, instead selling them to Ubisoft. The CMA has reviewed the new deal and shared a positive update, indicating a likely approval next month.

The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) posted a press release today to give an update on the state of the Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal, which it blocked earlier this year. After Microsoft reworked and resubmitted the deal to the CMA in August, the regulating group appeared more likely to allow the deal to be completed.

The CMA will issue its final decision on October 6. As things currently stand, it seems all but confirmed that the group will give a thumbs up to Microsoft’s industry-changing deal to acquire Activision Blizzard. We’ll be sure to share any potential updates on the situation between now and then.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_