EU may have good news coming for Microsoft in ‘Call of Duty’ deal next week – Times of India

Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $69 billion is expected to gain approval from the European Union’s antitrust regulators. The company’s strategy of offering licensing agreements to competitors is believed to have assisted it in overcoming a significant obstacle in the acquisition process, three sources told Reuters.
According to the sources, the European Commission will likely approve the deal without requiring Microsoft to sell any assets. The decision is expected to be made on May 15.
A source tells, apart from providing licensing agreements to competitors, Microsoft might need to propose additional behavioural remedies to address concerns raised by parties other than Sony.
In a recent statement, Microsoft President Brad Smith addressed antitrust concerns and offered licensing deals to competitors. However, he made it clear that the popular “Call of Duty” franchise would not be sold, as it is unrealistic to separate it from the rest of Activision.
Microsoft said it was “committed to offering effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the European Commission’s concerns.”
“Our commitment to grant long term 100% equal access to Call of Duty to Sony, Steam, NVIDIA and others preserves the deal’s benefits to gamers and developers and increases competition in the market,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
Microsoft announced that it had entered into 10-year licensing agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia to make Call of Duty available on their gaming platforms.
The biggest objector of the deal has been Sony, which worries that Microsoft would hold back the Call of Duty franchise from the PlayStation. However, Microsoft has proposed a 10-year licensing deal, which Sony has rejected, labelling it “inadequate on many levels.”
While the deal may go through in the EU, the agreement is experiencing difficulties with regulations in the UK. The UK competition agency has recommended that Microsoft sells Call of Duty to address its concerns, while the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking to stop the deal through legal means.