Microsoft’s quest to appease the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority has recruited an unlikely ally. Ubisoft has stepped in to help sweeten the deal for MS to purchase the powerhouse known as Activision Blizzard.
According to PC Mag, the helping hand comes at a price. To calm the CMA’s concerns that the acquisition would allow Microsoft to hold too much power in the game streaming market, Ubisoft will have non-exclusive rights to stream the Activision Blizzard libraries in the EU market.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s President, believes this collaboration will appease the Competition and Markets Authority:
“As a result of the agreement with Ubisoft, Microsoft believes its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard presents a substantially different transaction under UK law than the transaction Microsoft submitted for the CMA’s consideration in 2022. Microsoft today has notified the restructured transaction to the CMA and anticipates that the CMA review processes can be completed before the 90-day extension in its acquisition agreement with Activision Blizzard expires on October 18.”
Although, on the surface, the inclusion of Ubisoft’s role appears to solve the monopoly issue, the concession does not mean Microsoft will have an immediate greenlight. The authority’s Chief Executive, Sara Cardell, had the following to say:
“This is not a green light. We will carefully and objectively assess the details of the restructured deal and its impact on competition, including in light of third-party comments. Our goal has not changed – any future decision on this new deal will ensure that the growing cloud gaming market continues to benefit from open and effective competition driving innovation and choice.”
You know what’s going to happen ultimately, right? Microsoft will probably try to buy Ubisoft in the next ten years, especially if it loses the next gen’s console war.
What do you think about Ubisoft’s UK streaming rights to the Activision Blizzard library? Let us know below.
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