Microsoft to Sell Activision Blizzard Streaming Rights to Ubisoft in Revised Deal | Push Square

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Microsoft has announced it has restructured its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a bid to appease the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA has been against the deal for a long time, with a monopoly on gaming via cloud streaming services being its biggest concern. Microsoft's revised deal addresses this directly; once the deal goes through, it will sell the rights to stream Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft.

On completion of the deal, Ubisoft will gain the rights to stream «all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years» via its own service, Ubisoft+. The French publisher will also be able to licence out Activision Blizzard's games to «cloud gaming companies, service providers, and console makers». In short, Ubisoft will control ActiBlizz's catalogue of games on cloud services, ensuring they won't be tethered to Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The CMA has been made aware of this change, and Microsoft is hoping it'll be approved before the 90-day extension draws to a close on 18th October. While it remains firmly against the original proposal, it says in a new statement that it will consider the restructured deal «under a new Phase 1 investigation».

So, nothing is set in stone, but it's now looking more likely than ever that this deal will go through — albeit with some major changes. What are your thoughts on this? Discuss in the comments section below.

Having grown up alongside PlayStation, Stephen has developed an eclectic taste in video games and a wide knowledge of the medium, from small indie gems to the biggest AAA blockbusters. Ever hopeful that the Burnout series makes a miraculous return.

So basically the same as what Xbox wanted in the first place