Microsoft’s $69 billion takeover of Call of Duty maker Activision set to get EU antitrust approval

Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) set to gain EU antitrust clearance for its $69 billion (approx Rs. 5,68,094 crore) acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O) with its licensing deal offering to rivals, three people familiar with the subject said, helping him to overcome a major obstacle.

Microsoft announced Activision’s bid in January last year, the largest ever, to take on leaders Tencent (0700.HK) and Sony (6758.T) in the booming market. video game and to venture into the metaverse which is online virtual worlds where people can work, play and socialize.

The European Commission, which is due to rule on the deal by April 25, should not require Microsoft to sell assets to gain its approval, the sources said.

In addition to licensing deals for rivals, Microsoft may also have to come up with other behavioral solutions to allay concerns from parties other than Sony, one of the people said. These remedies generally refer to the future conduct of the merged company.

Activision shares, which jumped 1.8% in premarket trading after the Reuters article was published, were up 2.6% in late trades.

Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith said last month that the US software group was prepared to offer licensing deals to rivals to address antitrust concerns, but would not sell the lucrative “Call of Duty” franchise. from Activision.

Smith said it was neither feasible nor realistic to think that a game or slice of Activision could be cut out and separated from the rest.

The EU competition authority declined to comment.

Microsoft said it was “committed to delivering effective and easily applicable solutions that address the European Commission’s concerns.”

“Our commitment to grant 100% equal long-term access to Call of Duty to Sony, Steam, NVIDIA and others preserves the benefits of the agreement for gamers and developers and increases competition in the marketplace,” said a Microsoft spokesperson.

Last month, Microsoft announced it had signed 10-year licensing agreements with Nintendo (7974.T) and Nvidia (NVDA.O) that will bring Call of Duty to their gaming platforms, with the deals conditioned on a fire. green for the Activision deal. .

The deal faces regulatory headwinds in Britain, where the UK competition agency has suggested Microsoft divest Call of Duty to address its concerns while the states’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC) United has asked a judge to block the deal.

© Thomson Reuters 2023