Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Acquisition Approved by South Korea

The Microsoft-Activision Blizzard acquisition finds another approval, this time from South Korean regulators.

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) approved the deal worth $68.7 billion unconditionally, making it one of the less headache-inducing ones for the two gaming giants.

The deal comes a few days after Chinese regulators gave the go-ahead to the deal. With the addition of South Korea and Japan, 38 countries have now approved the biggest deal in video game history.

KFTC’s approval stems from Activision Blizzard games’ low popularity in the region, which results in lesser importance when players decide to choose their console platform.

“Even in the event of a blockade, the effect of converting competitors’ consumers to its service subscribers is minimal due to the low popularity of Blizzard’s games, and competitors have a significant market share, so there is no risk of exclusion from competition,” said KFTC in its statement. (via VGC)

The KFTC also revealed that it had spoken to other regulators from around the world. However, it’s decision to approve differs due to the increased importance of Activision Blizzard in other regions.

Despite the growing number of approvals from international regulators, the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard acquisition deal’s biggest detractor comes from the United States and United Kingdom. While the former’s FTC has sued Microsoft over the acquisition, the latter’s CMA has blocked the deal.