Microsoft’s $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Acquisition Finally Approved

Key Takeaways

• Microsoft has been cleared by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to complete their acquisition of Activision Blizzard
• It will allow them to finalize the $69 billion transaction, and will see them take ownership of franchises such as Call of Duty and Warcraft
• As part of the concessions made with the CMA, Microsoft will spin off the cloud gaming assets division to Ubisoft

It had to pass through the regulatory gauntlet for a number of different countries, including the US, UK and Europe, but Microsoft’s major acquisition of Activision Blizzard has now been finalized.

It was the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) who were the last holdout in approving the deal, over concerns that the acquisition would reduce competition for gamers. With the CMA now satisfied with the deal after some concessions were made, Microsoft is free to go ahead and complete the $69 billion deal.