The CMA Has Approved Microsoft's Acquisition Of Activision Blizzard

gameinformer.com:

After the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority blocked Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty and Diablo maker Activision Blizzard earlier this year over cloud gaming concerns, Microsoft brought a new deal to the table. In this new deal, Ubisoft would get the rights to Activision Blizzard cloud game streaming in the U.K. for 15 years, theoretically quelling the CMA's concerns. The CMA granted Microsoft a preliminary approval last month and now, a few weeks later, the U.K. regulatory agency has finally given Microsoft the full approval it needs. 

With the CMA's approval, Microsoft now has everything it needs to close the deal and make Activision Blizzard a part of Xbox's first-party umbrella. This approval comes just days before Microsoft's October 18 deadline to complete the acquisition, and prior reports indicate Microsoft is planning to do so today. 

Here's what the CMA has to say about Microsoft's new deal that is has approved: 

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell says the CMA is resolute in its determination to prevent mergers that harm competition and deliver bad outcomes for consumers and businesses, and takes its decisions free from political influence so as not to be swayed by corporate lobbying. 

«We delivered a clear message to Microsoft that the deal would be blocked unless they comprehensively addressed our concerns and stuck to our guns on that,» Cardell says. «With the sale of Activision's cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft, we've made sure that Microsoft can't have a stranglehold over this important and rapidly developing market. As cloud gaming grows, this intervention will ensure people get more competitive prices, better services, and more choices. We are the only competition agency