Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition approved by Chinese government

techradar.com:

The Chinese government has approved Microsoft’s plans to acquire Activision Blizzard. 

Echoing the EU’s own decision, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has greenlit Microsoft’s controversial acquisition of Activision Blizzard (via Seeking Alpha). This comes at odds with the UK government’s decision to “prevent” the acquisition as well as the ongoing lawsuit raised by the Federal Trade Commission of the United States. 

In a statement to PC Gamer, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson wrote: «we're glad to see China join dozens of other major countries in welcoming more competition in the gaming industry.» The statement continued: “SAMR has unconditionally approved our merger with Microsoft, using facts and data to reach the correct conclusion. We are committed to the Chinese market, with many of our amazing players and employees based there, and we look forward to bringing them new choices and benefits as part of this deal."    

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft walked a similar line, stating: “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” (via RPS). The Microsoft spokesperson continued, claiming that «The acquisition combined with our recent commitments to the European Commission will empower consumers worldwide to play more games on more devices.»

China’s approval of Microsoft’s plans to acquire Activision Blizzard comes as a strange addition to the ongoing saga. In November 2022, Activision Blizzard suspended most Blizzard game services in mainland China, announcing in a press release that it would not be renewing its