Microsoft's Bid For Activision Blizzard Receives China's Approval, Joins 37 Regulators Worldwide

Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT $69 billion bid to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI received approval from China's State Administration, marking another milestone in the global regulatory process.

This clearance, which was reported by Seeking Alpha and confirmed by IGN, was the latest addition to a group of 37 regulators that have approved the deal, the latest was the European Union.

"China's unconditional clearance of our acquisition of Activision Blizzard follows clearance decisions from jurisdictions such as the European Union and Japan, bringing the total to 37 countries representing more than two billion people," a Microsoft spokesperson told IGN.

"The acquisition combined with our recent commitments to the European Commission will empower consumers worldwide to play more games on more devices," the spokesperson added.

This news came nearly a month after the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced it was blocking the deal.

The British regulatory body cited concerns the bid would have a negative impact on the fast-growing cloud gaming market, stating Microsoft had not addressed these concerns effectively.

“Microsoft has a strong position in cloud gaming services and the evidence available to the CMA showed that Microsoft would find it commercially beneficial to make Activision’s games exclusive to its own cloud gaming service,” the CMA said in a press release.

While the approval from China's State Administration signals progress, Microsoft still faces an arduous task of persuading other regulators and key competitors, including Sony Group Corp SONY, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the U.K.'s CMA, that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard will not hinder competition.

Photo: Yan Ke on Unsplash

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