Microsoft Activision Deal Given the Green Light in Serbia
According to a report by Reuters, the purposed purchase of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft has reportedly been given the go-light by the competition authority in Serbia, bringing the total number of approvals for the transaction from the computer giant up to three.
The first nations to sign off on this agreement were Saudi Arabia and Brazil, which came much before Serbia. Accordingly, for Microsoft to successfully acquire Activision-Blizzard, it needs 20 approvals from regulators located all over the world. Microsoft has already been granted three of those approvals, but it appears that the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union will be the most difficult obstacles in front of the deal.
As previously reported by Reuters, Microsoft intends to make accommodations to the EU regulator as a demonstration of its adherence to the promises made before purchasing Activision Blizzard. According to other reports, the agreement would require Sony to launch forthcoming Call of Duty games on the same day and with the same content on both Xbox and PlayStation systems for ten years. Since Microsoft revealed its intention to purchase Activision-Blizzard, Sony has worked to thwart the merger by raising its concerns with regulatory bodies all around the globe about the potential ramifications of the transaction.
However, after hearing Sony’s worries about the potential results, authorities in the EU and the UK have formally decided to look into the merger further. Since then, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer has publicly said many times that Call of Duty would continue to be available on PlayStation for the foreseeable future, but it doesn’t seem like that’s enough for Sony.
By April 11, 2023, the EU regulatory body must determine whether to approve the agreement. It seems that Microsoft is attempting to persuade authorities of the company’s commitment to what it now asserts by making compromises. However, Microsoft still has to convince the FTC in the US and the UK’s CMA, both of which seem to be just as difficult to persuade for approval.
