UK Regulator Greenlights Microsoft’s Activison Blizzard Deal

After months of roadblocks, Microsoft has finally received the go-ahead from UK regulators to buy Activision Blizzard. The deal has previously only gotten “preliminary approval” from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as the agency believed it would give Microsoft an unfair monopoly over the cloud gaming market.

Microsoft ultimately decided to restructure the deal to sell off Activision’s cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft so that it would be eligible to proceed.

“The CMA has decided to give Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) consent to acquire Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) (the Parties) excluding Activision’s cloud streaming rights outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) (the Merger) subject to the condition that the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights completes prior to completion of the Merger,” the CMA said in a statement.

The CMA’s approval now brings to a close a 20-month battle for Microsoft to make the $68.7 billion USD purchase. The deal is expected to close ahead of the deadline and be finalized in the coming days.

“We’re grateful for the CMA’s thorough review and decision today,” Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote on X. “We have now crossed the final regulatory hurdle to close this acquisition, which we believe will benefit players and the gaming industry worldwide.”

In other gaming news, a new Guitar Hero game could be in the works.