Microsoft’s journey towards acquiring Activision Blizzard continues with a growing list of nations approving the deal, but some hurdles still remain.
Almost a whole year on from the announcement of the acquisition for almost $70 billion in cash, Microsoft is still working to become the rightsholder of Activision Blizzard’s games catalogue, encompassing Call of Duty, Overwatch, Warcraft, and more. Of course, with mobile giant King also being part of the acquisition, Microsoft would additionally be acquiring Candy Crush and more, if all goes ahead.
Acquisition at risk
In November 2022, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick told employees via an open letter that he remained optimistic that the deal would be completed as planned despite the rumbling of reports that it was in jeopardy.
“Becoming part of a company with access to talent around the world will help us fill the thousands of open positions we will have over the next few years,” he said. “Being a part of Microsoft will help us better realise our ambitions and satisfy the high standards of our audiences.”
However, later that month rumours arose that the FTC was seeking to block the acquisition. The EU Commission rebuked the FTC’s decision on the grounds that Bethesda games Redfall and Starfield had long been advertised as Xbox exclusive.
The FTC’s suit isn’t the only one, however. Arguing that this acquisition would lead to a monopoly, 10 gamers also filed a lawsuit in San Francisco aiming to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard.
Approving nations
Chile’s market regulatory institution The Fiscalia Nacional Economica has recently given its approval to the acquisition, adding to the growing list of approvals Microsoft needs to go ahead with the deal; the Chilean organisation has argued that the deal is not a threat to the fairness of the game market.
In total, 16 countries must approve in order for Activision Blizzard to be acquired. As for the nations that have done so thus far, the current list is as follows:
• Brazil
• Serbia
• Saudi Arabia
• Chile
