What you need to know
- Microsoft first announced its plans to purchase Activision Blizzard in January 2022.
- The deal has since faced scrutiny by governing bodies in the US, UK, and EU.
- Microsoft has made several announcements and deals in an effort to persuade regulators to approve the acquisition.
- Over 81% of Windows Central readers that participated in our poll predict that the deal will go through.
Microsoft announced its plans to purchase Activision Blizzard almost 14 months ago. The acquisition still has several regulatory hurdles to get over before it goes through. Microsoft has spent over a year trying to convince regulators from the US, UK, and EU to approve the deal. It seems that the tech giant has made some headway, with reports indicating that the European Union is leaning toward approving the purchase.
Even if the deal passes through EU regulators, it will still need to be approved by the UK’s CMA and the US’ FTC. The likelihood of that is unclear, but we wanted to get a gauge regarding if our readers believe Microsoft will be allowed to purchase Activision Blizzard.
Throughout this week we ran a poll asking if people predict the deal will go through. Over 81% of participants predicted that Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard will be approved.
Windows Central take
Just last month, Microsoft’s chances of buying Activision Blizzard seemed to be dwindling. Then, the company announced that Microsoft Activision titles will be on GeForce NOW and signed a binding agreement to have Xbox games on Nintendo hardware for 10 years. Those agreements seem to have swayed the EU, at least based on recent reports.
While the FTC feel the same way? It’s hard to say. The US regulatory may be looking for a way to set a new precedent when it comes to major tech deals. Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard would certainly set an example if the FTC wants to put its foot down and stop further deals of a similar size.
If the deal does not go through, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer emphasized that “Xbox will exist” going forward. Our Managing Editor Jez Corden also discussed what would and could happen if the deal was not approved.
Do you agree with our readers? Reach out to me on Twitter to let me know.
