Europe gives green light to takeover of Activision by Microsoft

May 15, 2023

The European Commission said Microsoft offered European consumers 10-year free license agreements and cloud game streaming services to stream Activision games on PCs and consoles.

The European Union’s competition authority considers that “the commitments made by Microsoft fully address the competition concerns identified by the Commission and represent a significant improvement for cloud gaming compared to the current situation”.

“This step will increase competition in the market and allow streaming platforms, which did not have access to Activision games, to now have access to them,” a senior European Commission official told reporters on Monday.

Britain’s top competition regulator has blocked the acquisition of Activision Blizzard after some Microsoft competitors opposed the deal, fearing it would give the US software giant a firm foothold in the gaming market. 200 billion dollars. popular game “Call of Duty” on some platforms.

Sony, in particular, has expressed concern over the deal, as the Japanese gaming giant fears Microsoft will make Call of Duty exclusive to its Xbox consoles in the long term.

Despite EU approval, Microsoft still faces the difficult task of convincing other regulators, including the US Federal Trade Commission, that the Activision acquisition won’t harm competition.

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Arab Desk

Arab Desk

The Arab Desk leads The Eastern Herald's reporting on the Middle East and North Africa. The desk has covered the Gaza-Israel war since October 2023, the Iran-Israel war of 2025-2026, the fall of the Assad government in Syria, Hezbollah's political and military shifts in Lebanon, the war in Yemen, and the diplomatic realignment of the Gulf states under the Abraham Accords and the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.

Reporting in English, the desk verifies through named primary sources — including the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson's office, the Saudi Press Agency, Iranian state media, the UN Security Council, and accredited correspondents on the ground in Cairo, Beirut, Doha, and Jerusalem — and corroborates through Reuters, AFP, Al Jazeera, Arab News, and The National. Editorial accountability follows The Eastern Herald's editorial standards and corrections policy.

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