The representatives of the European Commission have given the green light to the deal under which Microsoft wants to acquire the game developer Activision Blizzard for 69 billion dollars. This is an “oxygen mouth” for Microsoft, after the UK and US authorities did NOT agree. Before giving the green light, the EU set a number of conditions.

The deal was announced in January 2022 and is one of the largest in technology history. But there were many objections to the effect of the takeover on competition.

The EU agreed after Microsoft promised not to block other companies’ access to games developed by Activision, known by titles such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Diablo.

The commission says the proposed transaction should not have a negative impact on the game console market, as Microsoft would have no reason to remove Activision’s most popular games from the consoles of rivals such as Sony, as it would lose revenue. Sony has a much larger share of game consoles than Microsoft in Europe.

In April, Britain’s competition authority announced it was blocking a proposed transaction by which Microsoft wants to acquire Activision Blizzard. The deal has raised concerns across the board and shows that governments are increasingly opposed to big tech deals.

The cloud gaming industry is valued at $175 billion.

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