Microsoft is reportedly set to avoid a fresh investigation from the EU into its $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard.
The European Commission said it was “closely following the developments in the UK and assessing their potential impact” after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally approved the tweaked deal that involved divesting Microsoft’s cloud gaming business to Assassin’s Creed maker Ubisoft.
But according to Bloomberg, the European Union has decided the changes to the deal do not need to go through the approvals process again. Neither the Commission or Microsoft have commented on the report.
Microsoft is reportedly aiming to close the deal tomorrow, October 13, ahead of its October 18 deadline, with the CMA expected to issue its final approval imminently. It’s set to become the biggest acquisition in video game history, and see the Xbox owner take control of the likes of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush. Don't expect the likes of Diablo 4 or Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 to pop up on Game Pass this year, however. Activision Blizzard said it expects to add its games to the Xbox subscription service from 2024.
However, the Federal Trade Commision (FTC) in the U.S. is soldiering on with its attempt to unravel the deal, despite losing a high-profile court case in the summer. The FTC plans to move forward with its in-house trial, although it is unlikely to prevent the deal from going through.
And in a new development, the FTC filed a submission to re-open discovery in order to gain more information on Microsoft’s cloud gaming divestiture deal with Ubisoft, and its deal with Sony to ensure Call of Duty remains on PlayStation consoles.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.