Various legal authorities need to sign off on Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard for the deal to go through. To persuade two of those authorities, the EC and the CMA, Microsoft are preparing a kind of "package deal", in which they will commit to releasing every Activision game on every possible platform, for at least ten years.
Despite the relationship between Microsoft and Sony curdling by the day, the Activision Blizzard deal might actually be concluded soon (and by soon we mean a few months, so don't get hyped for Call of Duty on Game Pass just yet). Before then, Microsoft still need to persuade a few anti-monopoly bodies that this deal won't disrupt market competition.
Thanks to a recently published article by Equity Report, which includes a number of interview with lawyers close to the case, we now know the specifics of how Microsoft are persuading European authorities. To be specific, Microsoft need to appease the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, and the lawyer's interviewed by Equity Report think Microsoft are likely to be successful thanks to a new proposition.
- If you're looking to get an Xbox if the deal goes through, then please be aware prices will continue to rise for this console. Luckily, you can still buy an Xbox from Amazon for under $300!
Microsoft Propose New Deal To Release Activision Games On Every Platform, Lawyers Confident
According to multiple lawyers following the case, Microsoft should be able to successfully persuade the EC and the CMA to accept their acquisition of Activision Blizzard, thanks to a new package they're offering. This package includes a number of compromises that Microsoft will be willing to make, but the most notable one for consumers is their commitment to release Activision games on every platform. Apparently they will offer to release games like this for at least ten years.
Lawyers are confident in the deal because a very similar package was used to persuade the EC last year when Meta acquired Kustomer. And to sweeten the package even further, Microsoft are also planning to guarantee that future Activision games will be released on the same date on every platform. So no early-access nonsense.
Would you be happy for Microsoft to acquire Activision? Or are you too hyped for the new Elden Ring DLC to care about Activision right now?
We certainly wouldn't mind getting this puppy on Game Pass: