Microsoft says China approves its plan to buy video game-maker Activision Blizzard, former NetEase partner
- China’s State Administration for Market Regulation cleared the merger without conditions, Microsoft said on Friday
- The European Union last week approved the US$69 billion takeover of the publisher behind World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Candy Crush
Microsoft said on Friday that China has unconditionally approved its plan to buy video gaming company Activision Blizzard, even as the deal still faces antitrust opposition in the US and United Kingdom.
China and the European Union are the two biggest economies to have approved Microsoft’s planned US$69 billion takeover of the California-based game publisher behind popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Candy Crush.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation cleared the acquisition without conditions, according to Microsoft, though as of late Friday the agency’s website did not mention the decision.
Game sales in mainland China come with a requirement that developers work with a Chinese publisher to release titles in the country. And since earlier this year, popular Activision Blizzard franchises such as World of Warcraft, the StarCraft series, Overwatch and Diablo have been suspended because of a disagreement between Activision subsidiary Blizzard Entertainment and its Chinese partner, NetEase.
NetEase slaps former partner Blizzard Entertainment with lawsuit in Shanghai
But the US company said late last year it would suspend most of its game services in China after current licensing agreements ended, leading to a public spat between the two companies.
Microsoft says its planned Activision acquisition — considered the priciest tech deal in history — now has been cleared in 37 countries, which includes the 27 in the EU as well as 10 others such as China, Japan and Brazil. But the blockbuster deal is still in jeopardy because British regulators have rejected it and US authorities are trying to thwart it.
