Xbox overcomes "final regulatory hurdle" in Activision acquisition
radiotimes.comAfter many months of legal wrangling, bizarre streaming deals with EE and console fanboys at each other's throats, the CMA has finally approved Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King in the UK — with the Xbox parent company overcoming the «final regulatory hurdle».
The CMA blocked the deal in April, citing concerns over Microsoft having a monopoly over cloud streaming, a move Microsoft chief Brad Smith said was «bad for Britain».
Under the finalised deal, Microsoft will be handing over the cloud streaming reins to Ubisoft in territories outside of the European Economic Area, which the UK is no longer part of due to Brexit.
The handover, as CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell put it, is to ensure that «Microsoft can't have a stranglehold over this important and rapidly developing market».
Regulators suspect that video game streaming will see meteoric growth over the coming years and become many people's first port of call for gaming, much in the same way that the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus have taken a large chunk out of terrestrial television market.
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Ubisoft only has the distribution rights for cloud streaming, however; the large IPs such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo and Candy Crush belong to Microsoft outright, and will no doubt be a huge boost to their revenue streams, with many likely subscribing to Xbox Game Pass to play the latest Call of Duty without paying £70 for the pleasure.
Given how big Call of Duty is on PlayStation, and the fact Xbox Game
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