There is plenty of online chatter about Microsoft’s latest attempt to secure Activision Blizzard. After last January came with the announcement of Microsoft’s bid to secure Activision Blizzard, there was nothing but hurdles for the company to overcome. The deal would bring a staggering $69 billion from Microsoft to ensure Activision Blizzard would fall under the Xbox umbrella. But that has put plenty of pushback against this deal proceeding further. Now it seems that some new deals in place could sway the EU’s antitrust concerns.
Right now, there is a series of regulators keeping an eye on this deal. The EU antitrust concerns are one of the big players right now that have been featured quite a bit online. However, there is still plenty of time for Microsoft to make some adjustments to its licensing deals to persuade the regulator to go in its favor. Prior to their meetings, Microsoft had already drafted up contracts that would confirm a longtime partnership with the likes of Sony, Nintendo, and various PC digital marketplaces. This would force Call of Duty games to land on these platforms for several years to come.
Since then, Microsoft has taken a keen stance on ensuring that they would not make any exclusive content for Call of Duty. The same game you would play on the Xbox platform would be the same experience you would receive on the PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo platforms. While it’s still uncertain whether this deal will go through or not, a new report from Reuters has sources claiming that the latest licensing deals are likely to satisfy the EU. We’re not entirely sure just what those deals are quite yet, but we should actually see them posted online soon.
Currently, the European Commission has set the deadline for this Microsoft Activision Blizzard acquisition deal for April 25, 2023. That gives us a little over a month to wait before we are able to find out if Microsoft will be able to make the purchase or if Activision Blizzard is forced to remain as a third party. Whatever the case ends up being, plenty of players are waiting to see what the official future may hold for the Call of Duty video game franchise.
