Microsoft Blizzard purchase getting approved by the EU

[diamond.g]

The Japanese equivalent to our FTC has approved the deal...

https://www.jftc.go.jp/houdou/pressrelease/2023/mar/kiketsu/230328_ma.pdf

So yeah it is gonna happen (and I suspect will be the rationale for others to purchase and remaining "floundering" studio/publishers [looking at you Ubisoft...]).

 

[Realityck]

The Japanese equivalent to our FTC has approved the deal...

https://www.jftc.go.jp/houdou/pressrelease/2023/mar/kiketsu/230328_ma.pdf

So yeah it is gonna happen (and I suspect will be the rationale for others to purchase and remaining "floundering" studio/publishers [looking at you Ubisoft...]).

Can't hurt, MS is not limited to Xbox console push, so they will grow/improve PC, possible native AS Mac compatibility better then Blizzard has been.

 

[mjohansen]

And blocked by UK regulators...

https://esportsinsider.com/2023/04/microsofts-activision-blizzard-acquisition-blocked-by-uk-competition-regulator

 

[diamond.g]

If the UK says no, but everyone else says yes, what happens?

 

[mjohansen]

If the UK says no, but everyone else says yes, what happens?

Not sure. My guess is that I can't go through if UK doesn't approve.

 

[AndyMacAndMic]

If the UK says no, but everyone else says yes, what happens?

The screenshot above is from this link:

https://www.engadget.com/microsofts...portedly-be-approved-by-the-eu-174012371.html

 

[maflynn]

The screenshot above is from this link:

Wow, that's one hefty break up fee.

I think the odds are against MS completing the deal - not due to lack of time, but rather the uphill battle with the US and UK

 

[diamond.g]

Wow, that's one hefty break up fee.

I think the odds are against MS completing the deal - not due to lack of time, but rather the uphill battle with the US and UK

Which is a shame cause I was hoping they would buy it forcing Sony to buy Square Enix.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

Which is a shame cause I was hoping they would buy it forcing Sony to buy Square Enix.

The last thing I want is Sony owning Square Enix. Sony owning Square would make Square's PC situation even worse.

 

[maflynn]

Which is a shame cause I was hoping they would buy it forcing Sony to buy Square Enix.

In the end, I think the consumer wins out because they failed.

All things being equal, I think in this environment and with MSFT wanting revenge, Sony would be under the microscope of trying to buy a large publisher at this point

 

[diamond.g]

The last thing I want is Sony owning Square Enix. Sony owning Square would make Square's PC situation even worse.

Square sold all their PC dev houses to Embracer Group, so they are already in a rough spot.

 

[Realityck]

New twist today. If MS succeeds with this acquisition.

Microsoft aiming to challenge Apple Silicon with custom ARM chips - 9to5Mac

The Mac lineup has seen impressive improvements with Apple Silicon over the last couple of years when it comes to...

9to5mac.com

Windows 12 is believed to be part of Microsoft’s Windows Core project, which focuses on creating a modular and customizable version of Windows for various form factors. The integration of in-house ARM chips could further optimize the hardware and software experiences offered by Windows 12.

See also

Microsoft job postings point to big Windows 12 ARM push

A report pointing to job listings claims that Microsoft wants to take on Apple Silicon more directly — but the company has been hiring ARM engineers for a decade.

appleinsider.com

Keen to catch up on its main rival, Microsoft could be preparing for Windows 12 to be a very ARM-focused effort.

 

[maflynn]

New twist today. If MS succeeds with this acquisition.

His is this a twist? It has nothing to do with the Blizzard acquisition

 

[Realityck]

His is this a twist? It has nothing to do with the Blizzard acquisition

I was thinking of the lack of video supported standards with windows 11 with ARM that is finally rectified with this effort. I know it's a bit of stretch but I bet you MS is really frustrated by now which how things are being played out.

 

[maflynn]

lack of video supported standards with windows 11

I'm still not seeing how the lack of video supported standards has anything to do with MS trying to buy a game publisher. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Realityck]

I'm still not seeing how the lack of video supported standards has anything to do with MS trying to buy a game publisher. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Perhaps I see this as a means for MS to utilize the potential of ARM computers with upcoming windows 12 next year, that adds the AS Mac community to the existing 32 bit Windows 11 gaming along with Xbox consoles and Sony consoles. Just consider it another eventual gaming expansion process that most wouldn't focus on this earlier onward.

 

[diamond.g]

Perhaps I see this as a means for MS to utilize the potential of ARM computers with upcoming windows 12 next year, that adds the AS Mac community to the existing 32 bit Windows 11 gaming along with Xbox consoles and Sony consoles. Just consider it another eventual gaming expansion process that most wouldn't focus on this earlier onward.

That feels like a stretch (that MS with it's existing studios could be doing now, but aren't).

 

[Realityck]

The UK doesn’t want Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal, so what happens next?

Microsoft is getting ready to fight.

www.theverge.com

Microsoft knew cloud gaming would be a key concern, and that’s why it has spent the past couple of months preparing by signing deals with Boosteroid, Ubitus, and Nvidia to allow Xbox PC games to run on rival cloud gaming services. These 10-year deals will also include access to Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games if Microsoft’s deal is approved by regulators. If it’s not approved, then the deals are off for Activision games, with only access to Microsoft’s Xbox PC games being supplied.

But these deals haven’t convinced the UK. The CMA says they are “too limited in scope” with models that mean gamers have to acquire the right to play games “by purchasing them on certain stores or subscribing to certain services.” There’s also concern around Microsoft potentially retaining all revenue from sales of Activision games and in-app purchases or cloud providers not being able to provide access to these games in rival multi-game subscription services or offer them on computer operating systems other than Windows.

Limiting support to Windows would make rival cloud gaming services customers of Microsoft, helping the software giant secure its dominance in operating systems if there ever was a bigger shift to cloud gaming. Valve’s SteamOS provides the only realistic threat to Windows gaming dominance right now, and if cloud providers have to license Windows to run games like Call of Duty, then it’s unlikely that we’ll see the switch to Linux that Google tried to push with its failed Stadia cloud gaming service.

 

[dmccloud]

Perhaps I see this as a means for MS to utilize the potential of ARM computers with upcoming windows 12 next year, that adds the AS Mac community to the existing 32 bit Windows 11 gaming along with Xbox consoles and Sony consoles. Just consider it another eventual gaming expansion process that most wouldn't focus on this earlier onward.

Too many logical leaps there to make it a convincing argument. The ARM push is to make their investment in the Qualcomm deal (hopefully) pay off in the long run, as their Surface efforts regarding ARM haven't moved the needle much. It has more to do with increasing their control of the PC market as a whole than anything related to gaming.

 

[Realityck]

Too many logical leaps there to make it a convincing argument. The ARM push is to make their investment in the Qualcomm deal (hopefully) pay off in the long run, as their Surface efforts regarding ARM haven't moved the needle much. It has more to do with increasing their control of the PC market as a whole than anything related to gaming.

True, just that at some point they do need to migrate from current windows supporting 32 bit drivers to a 64 bit OS like Apple already has.

 

[dmccloud]

True, just that at some point they do need to migrate from current windows supporting 32 bit drivers to a 64 bit OS like Apple already has.

As long as they build for x86-64, they will have to include backwards support for 32-bit drivers and even apps. The other consideration is that if Microsoft wants to make Windows 12 an ARM-first OS, then they actually lower the barrier to cross-platform development on Mac OS (making it more similar to porting for Intel), which could run counter to their long-term goals.

 

[Realityck]

EU approves Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, clearing huge hurdle

Microsoft offered remedies in cloud gaming to earn the approval of European Union regulators for the $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition.

www.cnbc.com

Microsoft’s purchase of Activision gets the OK from the EU

In break with UK, Europe says Microsoft's promises will remedy cloud-gaming concerns.

arstechnica.com

In a tweeted statement this morning, the CMA argued that "Microsoft’s proposals, accepted by the European Commission today, would allow Microsoft to set the terms and conditions for this market for the next 10 years. They would replace a free, open and competitive market with one subject to ongoing regulation of the games Microsoft sells, the platforms to which it sells them, and the conditions of sale."

Microsoft and Activision are currently working on an appeal of the CMA decision on their deal, which could take months to work through the UK's bureaucratic process. Even if that appeal fails, some analysts think Microsoft could carve the UK out of any merger agreement and use geofencing to apply different cloud gaming rules for the UK market.

Microsoft and Activision are also facing a lawsuit from the US Federal Trade Commission seeking to block their acquisition deal. An evidentiary hearing in that case is set for August 2.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1658131200181952516

I like this one response about UK's CMA
THE ISLAND BECOMES SMALLER AND SMALLER THE MORE YOU TALK.

 

[maflynn]

Even if that appeal fails, some analysts think Microsoft could carve the UK out of any merger agreement and use geofencing to apply different cloud gaming rules for the UK market.

I was wondering if MS would leave or segment the UK market in such a way that they could do the merger. I think at this point all eyes are on the US to issue their decision. I believe (and I could be wrong) they were recommending or leaning towards blocking but nothing firm was issue. Now that the EU has green lit the merger, will that implicitly or explicitly affect the US decision

 

[Realityck]

I was wondering if MS would leave or segment the UK market in such a way that they could do the merger. I think at this point all eyes are on the US to issue their decision. I believe (and I could be wrong) they were recommending or leaning towards blocking but nothing firm was issue. Now that the EU has green lit the merger, will that implicitly or explicitly affect the US decision

I came across this recent May 16, 2023 article concerning what happened next, reading this seems like a very high wall to scale and get over for MS.

Microsoft-Activision Deal’s Bumpy Regulatory Road: Explained

The European Union’s approval of Microsoft Corp.‘s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. highlights the increasingly complex, conflicting web of multinational merger reviews.

news.bloomberglaw.com

What have other regulators said?​

The UK Competition and Markets Authority last month blocked the deal, citing harm to the emerging cloud gaming industry. Microsoft is appealing the decision, but court watchers see the bid as a time-consuming longshot unlikely to pay off.

The US Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit to block the deal in its in-house court over similar alleged harms. The FTC is also concerned the deal could foreclose competition in the market for multi-game content library subscription services.

To close the largest acquisition in the history of the video game industry, the companies need approval from all three regulators, in addition to China and other countries that have yet to make a decision. Several other countries, including Brazil and Japan, have cleared the deal without imposing conditions.

Why are so many regulators involved?​

Regulators in each country where a company does significant business are able to scrutinize a deal and potentially move to block it. Their methods differ, however. Agencies in countries like the US have to sue in court to block a deal. EU and UK regulators can unilaterally decide a deal is unlawful, forcing the companies to appeal that decision in court.

Companies pursuing large global deals often have to file for regulatory approval in dozens of countries, all with different timelines and procedures.

The multi-jurisdictional web means merger review takes longer, is more expensive, and in some cases has varying requirements and standards. The threat of those stumbling blocks can affect which deals are proposed in the first place.

The complexity increases when separate approaches are proposed in different jurisdictions. Regulators’ proposed fixes are inherently designed to address issues in their own country, not more broadly, as with the European Commission remedy covering licensing only in the EU. Those fixes can become meaningless if other jurisdictions like the UK or US block a deal.

Will the EU’s approval help Microsoft elsewhere?​

Not substantively. It may help Microsoft counterbalance the FTC’s attempts to point to the CMA’s decision as evidence in support of blocking the deal. Microsoft can point to its EU win to argue US and UK concerns are invalid.

But the EU clearance is otherwise unlikely to influence the ultimate outcome beyond the public relations arena. It carries no legal weight in other jurisdictions.

As illustrated by the varying jurisdictions’ responses, different markets have different priorities, so the deal’s impact on the US console, cloud gaming and subscription services markets is likely distinct from elsewhere.

What’s next for the deal?​

The merger is still on the ropes, despite Microsoft’s EU win.

The company faces the prospect of long, daunting litigation to overcome the objectons from US and UK regulators. Microsoft is appealing the UK decision to that country’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, but that body often sides with the regulator.

The FTC’s case goes to trial in front of an administrative law judge at the agency Aug. 2. Even if Microsoft wins, the commission can overrule its in-house judge, which would require the companies to appeal the ruling to a federal appeals court.

 

[Realityck]

China approves Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inboxUpdate: Microsoft has confirmed the propose…

www.gamesindustry.biz

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been approved in China.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, a Microsoft spokesperson said: "China's unconditional clearance of our acquisition of Activision Blizzard follows clearance decisions from jurisdictions such as the European Union and Japan, bringing the total to 37 countries representing more than two billion people.

"The acquisition combined with our recent commitments to the European Commission will empower consumers worldwide to play more games on more devices."

Original story (3 days earlier): China's antitrust regulator has reportedly approved Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Seeking Alpha cites an item from capital market firm Dealreporter, which states that the State Administration for Market Regulation gave unconditional approval for the $68.7 billion deal after a Phase 3 investigation.

China's approval would follow that of Ukraine, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa and most notably the European Union, which announced its decision last week.

The EU is one of three major markets Microsoft needs to win over in order to get the deal through. However, regulators for the other two – the UK's Competition and Markets Authority and the US' Federal Trade Commission – have both made moves to block the acquisition.