Microsoft Activision Blizzard Deal Gets Approval in Brazil; Xbox Launches a Website Outlining Acquisition Benefits and More About FTC and UK Watchdog

Brazil’s competition regulator Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has officially approved Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Wednesday with no restrictions.

“Considering the huge popularity of Call of Duty, it is reasonable to infer that if Activision Blizzard games were no longer available on Sony consoles, PlayStation users could decide to migrate to Xbox, or even a PC, to continue having access to franchise games,” the summary reads (Machine translated).

“On the other hand, it’s also reasonable to assume that if upcoming Call Of Duty games became exclusive to the Microsoft ecosystem, players loyal to the PlayStation brand could simply abandon the series, migrating their demand to other games available on their favourite console.”

It also stated that Call of Duty on Xbox would see a dip in sales and player numbers for some time as it would be available on fewer platforms compared to before.

“Such a hypothetical scenario could not only negatively impact the franchise’s numbers, but also favour other multiplatform games similar to Call of Duty that remain on PlayStation, such as competing series such as Battlefield and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six,” the CADE added.

In August, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition also gave the acquisition a nod.

When FTC and UK watchdog CMA will submit their rulings

According to a report by Dealreporter, the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) enquiry is still at the staff level and will progress in the upcoming weeks. The report states that the FTC has “significant concerns” over the $68.7 billion merger and is talking to other parties and competitors such as Sony and Google about their issues with the deal. The company could share its decision by November.

Meanwhile, the UK’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will publish its final report on March 1, 2023, which it has set as the deadline. According to its timetable, it will notify about the provisional findings and possible remedies if required after gathering information, issuing questionnaires, conducting third-party and main hearings, and verifying that information.

Microsoft launches Xbox website to show benefits of Activision-Blizzard acquisition

Microsoft’s website states that the $68.7 million deal will benefit players, developers, and the gaming industry. The company claims that more devices will get more games, which will offer more choices to players. The company wants to “enable people to play games anywhere, anytime and on any device.”

The website also says that studios will find it easier to bring their games to players and the deal will result in fair rules in the marketplace using the Microsoft Store.