EU is Set to Approve Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Deal

gamerant.com:

Microsoft's quest to acquire Activision Blizzard appears to be making some headway as the EU is reportedly likely to approve the monumental $68.7 billion purchase. The European Commission will make its decision regarding Microsoft's acquisition later this year. Meanwhile, there are still a few major hurdles before the biggest merger in gaming history can take place.

Just over a year ago, Microsoft announced its plan to purchase Activision Blizzard in a move that could have a profound impact on the gaming industry. This acquisition would see Microsoft in control of Call of Duty, a juggernaut franchise that is consistently one of the top-selling games each year. It would also place the massive Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises in Microsoft's hands, along with other major names like Spyro,Crash Bandicoot, andCandy Crush. Regulators have been understandably concerned about this purchase, as it could be seen as monopolistic. One of the main worries of the US Federal Trade Commission and European Commission is that this move could effectively sabotage competitors of Microsoft's Xbox console by making these games exclusive.

Call of Duty May Not Run on Switch, Says UK Market Regulator

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft's deals with Nintendo and Nvidia have been convincing enough and are likely to address EU antitrust concerns. Microsoft recently made 10-year agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia ensuring that Call of Duty would be available on Nintendo consoles and thatCall of Duty and Xbox PC games would be brought to the Nvidia GeForce Now cloud gaming platform. This move directly addresses the antitrust concerns of regulators and appears to have gone a long way toward securing