Bobby Kotick Complains That Xbox Merger Has Taken "Longer Than Expected"

thegamer.com:

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick says that the company's acquisition by Microsoft is a "longer journey than expected", as they continue to face difficulties in the UK. He adds that management is "hard at work" to close the deal, suggesting that he believes it will be over soon.

However, his comments also imply that Kotick didn't expect to face this much opposition to the deal, despite it being the largest in video game history. While it has been approved in many major regions aside from the UK, that hasn't been without hassle, with Xbox having to make continuous compromises, as well as argue that it would give it an unfair monopoly on the gaming industry.

Related: We Shouldn't Be Cheering On The Microsoft Acquisition Of Activision

"This has been a longer journey than expected, and I am very proud of how focused everyone has remained on delivering great games," says Kotick, speaking to workers in a statement on getting the deal approved in the UK. "Thanks for your continued dedication and commitment to our players."

This statement came after it was announced that Activision Blizzard would be entering a cloud streaming deal with Ubisoft. In practical terms, this means that Xbox wouldn't have cloud gaming rights over Activision Blizzard games, and they would instead be available through Ubisoft-run services.

Announcing the deal, Ubisoft commented: "The agreement includes the complete slate of current Activision Blizzard games, as well as all their new titles launching in the 15 years after the closing of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard." This means that should the deal go through, you can expect to see games such as new Call of Duty instalments on Ubisoft Plus.

While this is a blow for Xbox, Ubisoft