According to the European Commission, the deal does not undermine Microsoft’s competition.
(Photo: Reuters)
Frankfurt The European Union has given the green light to the biggest takeover to date in the video games industry. The software company Microsoft may swallow Activision Blizzard subject to conditions, the EU competition authority announced on Monday.
The authority described the long-term license agreements offered by Microsoft for video game hits from Activision such as “Call of Duty” as sufficient. “They represent a significant improvement compared to the current situation.”
Her British colleagues came to a different conclusion: they had refused to approve the $69 billion takeover. Lawsuits against the deal are pending in the United States. Microsoft competes with its “Xbox” games console against the “PlayStation” from the world market leader Sony or the “Switch” from Nintendo.
There are also numerous online gaming platforms from companies such as the graphics chip specialist Nvidia or the Internet company Google.
More: Cloud gaming: Brits block billion-dollar deal