2023-08-22 07:57:00
By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 58 minutes ago, Just Updated
The new deadline for a decision on the preliminary investigation is October 18 DADO RUVIC / REUTERS
Microsoft offers to sell all cloud rights to Activision’s catalog to the French publisher. He hopes to convince the British competition authority, the only regulator opposed to this takeover at 69 billion dollars.
US software giant Microsoft has submitted an amended takeover plan for US video game publisher Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush…) with the British Competition Authority (CMA), which had blocked the original version of the operation at the end of April.
The CMA states:to have opened a new phase 1 investigation into a restructured agreement by Microsoft to acquire Activisionin a statement released on Tuesday. Furthermore, the CMA hasfinalized its decision to block the merger“original, an operation which was valued at 69 billion dollars and was to give birth to the third player in the sector in terms of turnover, behind the Chinese Tencent and Sony.
For the British antitrust, this takeover presents too great risks for the future of the video game sector. More specifically, the authority fears that the takeover of the Activision catalog will give Microsoft a decisive competitive advantage in a market that is still in its infancy: that of cloud gaming, i.e. video game streaming.
Read alsoVideo games: the Microsoft-Activision merger blocked by London
Delicate mega-fusion
To save the operation, Microsoft has filed with the CMA a new version of the proposed takeover which aims to remove these doubts. And this montage brings out a new player: the French video game publisher Ubisoft.
Microsoft undertakes to transfer in perpetuity to Ubisoft all the rights of the cloud gaming versions of the Activision-Blizzard catalog. This concerns games already published by the American publisher, but also those that will be released in the next 15 years. Ubisoft will be the exclusive holder of these rights worldwide, excluding the European Union. Brussels has indeed already given its approval to the Microsoft-Activision merger.
Read alsoThe European Union approves the Microsoft-Activision merger, London maintains its veto
This means that Ubisoft will be able to offer gamers the entire Activision-Blizzard catalog on the cloud gaming component of its Ubisoft+ subscription service. Similarly, if players such as Netflix, Amazon or Sony wish to add a Call of Duty or one Diablo on their cloud gaming services, they will have to turn to the French publisher. The action of the French company gained 6% at the opening of the Paris Stock Exchange.
«Microsoft will not be able to stream Activision Blizzard games exclusively on its own streaming service – Xbox Cloud Gaming – or control the license terms of Activision Blizzard games for competing services“Explains the American giant in a press release.
This agreement between Microsoft and Ubisoft will only materialize if the British antitrust is convinced by this solution and authorizes the takeover of Activision-Blizzard. The new deadline for a decision on the preliminary inquiry is October 18.
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