The European Union, through its European Commission body, has approved the merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King. The decision comes after the UK regulator (CMA) blocked the merger a few weeks ago, putting the deal in serious jeopardy. Microsoft needs the support of other major markets (such as Europe, and soon the United States) if it is to secure the purchase.
The official statement indicates that the decision is conditional on Microsoft honouring the agreements and promises it has made to other major players in the cloud gaming market, and that it sees no hint of a monopoly, stating that "Microsoft would have no incentive to refuse to distribute Activision's games to Sony, which is the leading distributor of console games worldwide, including in the European Economic Area ('EEA')."
Microsoft's offer to Europe
In the same report, the Commission explains the commitments to its licences in all EU territories:
- A free license to consumers in the EEA that would allow them to stream, via any cloud game streaming services of their choice, all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games for which they have a license.
- A corresponding free license to cloud game streaming service providers to allow EEA-based gamers to stream any Activision Blizzard's PC and console games.