Brazil Approves Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition

gamerant.com:

Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense, CADE, has given the country’s approval for Microsoft to move forward with the planned Activision Blizzard acquisition. This surely comes as welcome news to Microsoft, which still faces regulatory hurdles in multiple countries before the acquisition can be completed.

Microsoft announced its intention to purchase the game development and publishing juggernaut Activision Blizzard in January of 2022, a deal that would make it the third-largest gaming company in the world. In the months following the announcement of the planned acquisition, Microsoft has faced regulatory hurdles as it seeks the necessary approval in multiple countries to proceed with the deal. This approval by CADE means the proposed deal is now one step closer to becoming a reality, though European and UK regulators still have concerns about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft Launches Site to Explain Benefits of Activision Blizzard Acquisition

Announced in a tweet by senior editor at The Verge Tom Warren, CADE has given approval for the Microsoft acquisition to move forward without restrictions. In the document approving the acquisition, Brazilian regulators state that their decision was made for the good of Brazilian consumers and “not the defense of the particular interests of specific competitors.” The mention of competitive interests could be a response to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CEO Jim Ryan’s repeated claims that the Activision Blizzard acquisition would be unfair to PlayStation gamers. Ryan reportedly flew to Brussels recently to speak to EU regulators about the Activision Blizzard acquisition and the effect it could have on the Call of Duty franchise’s future on