E.U. Approves Microsoft’s $69 Billion Deal for Activision

The green light follows objections to the blockbuster deal by American and British regulators on the grounds that it would undercut competition.

Adam Satariano, based in London, covers digital policy in Europe.

The deal has revealed fractures among regulators about how to crimp the power of the world’s biggest technology companies.

After negotiating the concessions with Microsoft, European Union officials said they concluded that the deal could go through, particularly because the cloud gaming market is still so small.

“These commitments fully address the competition concerns identified by the commission,” the E.U. regulators said in a statement.

Approval in Brussels sets up a complicated legal chessboard for Microsoft and Activision, with few moves left to play. The fate of the deal will now hang largely on the legal process in the United States and Britain.

A loss of either appeal could be fatal for the deal because of the globalized and interconnected nature of the video game industry and the technology it uses.

Category: Technology

Source: NYTimes Technology