Takeover of “World of Warcraft” is getting closer – Economy

After around a year and a half, Microsoft has probably overcome the last major hurdle on the way to the largest takeover in the video game industry. The British antitrust regulator signaled on Friday that it wanted to withdraw its original veto against the $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard with games like “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.” The additional offer of cloud gaming activities to Activision rival Ubisoft “largely eliminates previous concerns,” said the CMA. There are still some “remaining concerns” because the authority has not yet had any legal means to enforce the sale to Ubisoft. However, Microsoft has offered remedies for this, which will be examined before a final decision is made.

This would make Great Britain the last major country to approve the takeover of Activision Blizzard, based in Santa Monica, California. In recent weeks, the British authorities have come under increasing pressure to revise their original decision. The European Union (EU) had already conditionally approved the deal in May. In July, the US antitrust authority FTC failed in its attempt to stop the merger in court. In order to allay competition concerns, Microsoft had concluded long-term licensing agreements for the classic game “Call of Duty” with Activision rivals such as Sony and Nintendo.