Microsoft is making further plans to acquire Activision Blizzard

Microsoft is making further plans to acquire Activision Blizzard

San Francisco, 6/6/2023

Despite the recent setback in its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft continues to make plans for the deal and has announced a 10-year agreement with cloud gaming provider Nware.

The announcement comes days after the UK antitrust regulator blocked Microsoft’s $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, saying it could hurt the cloud gaming market.

Under the newly announced deal, Microsoft will stream PC games on the Nware platform, including all Activision Blizzard games if the deal eventually goes through.

Microsoft has struck similar deals with other gaming companies, including one to bring Xbox PC games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.

The agreements aim to allay regulators‘ concerns that Microsoft could ban Activision Blizzard games from competing services.

However, this does not seem to have been enough for the British Competition and Markets Authority. She recently noted that if the deal went through, it would be commercially beneficial for Microsoft to develop Activision Blizzard games like Call of Duty and Overwatch, „exclusively for its own cloud gaming service.“
Microsoft announces that it will appeal the decision.