Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard has been cleared by China’s antitrust authorities.
Image source: Activision
China’s State Agency for Market Regulation granted unconditional approval for the transaction late in the third phase of its review, the Dealreporter article said, citing its own sources. China’s approval came after the European Union also gave the green light to a major deal to acquire Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard.
While China’s and Europe’s decisions are significant, Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued a ban on the deal last month that could eventually lead to its scrapping. Microsoft intends to appeal the UK regulator’s decision. The US Federal Trade Commission also filed a lawsuit in December to block a deal to buy Activision. The lawsuit is scheduled to begin in August.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said late last month that the UK’s antitrust authority’s decision to block the video game giant’s sale to Microsoft “A wrong decision in every respect“.
Add Comment