Microsoft has announced more detailed information on the promises made to the Activision Blizzard acquisition team.
The European Union Commission, which oversees market competition in the European Union region, earlier in the week gave its conditional approval to the planned deal by Microsoft. Now the company’s chairman Brad Smith has given detailed information about the demands of the commission and the commitments made by Microsoft.
One of the most significant competitive impacts of trade was related to streaming gaming, which is why the EU Commission made the availability of games on competing platforms a condition. According to Smith, Microsoft is committed to automatically licensing all Activision Blizzard games to competing streaming services. The ten-year deal means that all competing streaming services can offer Activision Blizzard games to their customers. Although the Commission’s requirement was licensing only for consumers in the European Economic Area, according to Microsoft, the commitment is valid worldwide.
Despite Microsoft’s commitments and EU approval, the completion of the deal is still uncertain. The United Kingdom’s Competition Authority blocked the deal last month, citing concerns about competition in the streaming gaming market. The US Trade Commission (FTC) is also still standing in the way of trade, and there is currently no certainty of approval.
Source: brad smith
