icrosoft’s revised deal with Call of Duty maker Activision has addressed the concerns of the UK competition watchdog, it said today, adding that it “opens the door” to being cleared.
The Competition and Markets Authority had blocked a previous version of the deal, citing Microsoft’s already-dominant position in cloud gaming services. Microsoft came back with a fresh deal, under which Ubisoft would manage Activision’s cloud streaming rights.
In a statement the CMA said: “The CMA considers that the restructured deal makes important changes that substantially address the concerns it set out in relation to the original transaction earlier this year.
“In particular, the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft will prevent this important content – including games such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft – from coming under the control of Microsoft in relation to cloud gaming.
“While the restructured deal is materially different to the previous transaction and substantially addresses most concerns, the CMA has limited residual concerns that certain provisions in the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft could be circumvented, terminated, or not enforced.
“To address these concerns, Microsoft has offered remedies to ensure that the terms of the sale of Activision’s rights to Ubisoft are enforceable by the CMA. The CMA has provisionally concluded that this additional protection should resolve those residual concerns.”
More to follow