EU Expected to Greenlight Microsoft's Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

According to a recent report, the European Commission is poised to approve Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard without requiring the sale of any parts of the company. This decision is reportedly based on Microsoft's prior commitments to make Call of Duty available on multiple platforms, including those owned by other companies. A Microsoft spokesperson emphasized the company's dedication to providing long-term, equal access to Call of Duty for various platforms, including Sony, Steam, and NVIDIA, which will ultimately benefit gamers and developers while promoting market competition. The European Commission is scheduled to announce its ruling by April 25. If approved, this would leave only two significant regulatory obstacles for the acquisition: an investigation by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority and a lawsuit filed by the US Federal Trade Commission. Notably, the CMA has expressed a preference for a structural remedy, suggesting that Microsoft should consider selling off certain divisions of Activision Blizzard, such as Activision or Blizzard, to address its concerns. However, Microsoft president Brad Smith has shown little interest in this approach, deeming it unrealistic to carve out specific parts of the company.