European Union approves acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft and Xbox

God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. After the UK blocked the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft seemed to be in crisis and Phil Spencer’s depressive statements set off alarm bells in the Xbox family. That if “I’m disappointed in myself,” that if “no one will sell their PS5 even if Starfield has an 11″... But the night is always darker just before dawn and finally good news for those in Redmond. The European Union has approved the acquisition and taken a position in favor of the company.

“The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard (‘Activision’) by Microsoft. The approval is conditional on full compliance with the commitments offered by Microsoft. The commitments fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission and represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming as compared to the current situation,” the European Commission said on its website.

“Today’s decision follows an in-depth investigation of the proposed acquisition of Activision by Microsoft. As always, the Commission has based its decision on hard evidence, and on extensive information and feedback from competitors and customers, including from game developers and distributors as well as cloud game streaming platforms in the EU.”

“The Commission’s preliminary investigation found that Microsoft could harm competition in the distribution of console and PC video games, including multi-game subscription services and cloud game streaming services; and in the supply of PC operating systems. The Commission’s in-depth market investigation indicated that Microsoft would not be able to harm rival consoles and rival multi-game subscription services. At the same time, it confirmed that Microsoft could harm competition in the distribution of games via cloud game streaming services and that its position in the market for PC operating systems would be strengthened.” In order to avoid the latter risk, Microsoft must comply with the commitments it has made.

This a breath of fresh air for Xbox, which will appeal to the British decision and continue to fight the purchase, although everything points to the fact that this process will end in 2024. In any case, we will see if the mood improves and how Phil Spencer and the company now speak about the acquisition and its future possibilities.