China Unconditionally Approves Microsoft Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

wowhead.com:

China's State Administration for Market Regulation has unconditionally approved Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As reported by Seeking Alpha and confirmed in a statement by Microsoft, global support for the $68.7 billion deal continues to grow, with only two holdouts in the UK Competition Markets Authority and US Federal Trade Commission standing opposed.

via The Verge Senior Editor Tom Warren While this approval may seem a bit ironic for World of Warcraft players after the recent shutdown of Blizzard Entertainment games and services in China, Microsoft and Activision continue to do a great deal of business in the region, and Blizzard could still find another licensing partner to take over NetEase's former operations. However, with 37 (or 38, depending on how you count it) countries now approving the deal, the scales are massively tilted by those in favor of the acquisition rather than those against it.

This puts increased pressure on those regulatory agencies holding out against the deal, particularly as their respective governments have already begun to question exactly why they stand opposed while the overwhelming majority of the world supports it — asking who exactly are these agencies protecting? FOSS Patents Florian Mueller puts the numbers into perspective: What comes next has been the subject of much debate between analysts and industry experts. Many believe that the CMA will walk back their decision to block the merger, after being questioned in a parliamentary oversight hearing earlier this week.

Others believe that, if the CMA holds their position, the UK could be excluded, though this would seem to be a last resort option. As for the US Federal Trade Commission, things are a little more