Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard approved in another country
Chile joins the small group of countries that have approved the deal so far.
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What you need to know
While Microsoft’s biggest purchase ever is continuing to be evaluated by authorities around the world, one more country has approved the deal.
Chile regulator Fiscalía Nacional Económica (FNE) approvedMicrosoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzardon Thursday. In the press release, the regulator explained that with other big third-party companies such as Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Ubisoft, and others, there was still plentiful competition.
“As other responsible regulators review the facts, we expect more approvals like this one,” saidLulu Cheng Meservey, EVP of corporate affairs at Activision Blizzard.
The deal, worth almost $69 billion, has a ways to go before it can finalize. Chile joins a handful of countries that have also approved the deal, including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia. Microsoft still needs clearance from numerous countries and many regulators are currently in the final phases of examining the deal, including the European Commission and the CMA in the U.K. Microsoft has also been challenged in the U.S. by the FTC, which is seeking to block the deal.
This decision has drawn the condemnation of labor groups like theCommunication Workers of America(CWA) and AFL-CIO, which have asked for the deal to continue as more and moreActivision Blizzard studios unionize. The CWA is also overseeing the unionization of over300 Bethesda Softworks workers, with Microsoft confirmed to remain neutral during the proceedings.
Windows Central’s take
Additional approvals are good for Microsoft in adding pressure and precedent but ultimately, Chile is not a very large country and this deal still has a ways to go.
What’s more interesting here is the comment from Meservey, who seems to indicate that a few more regulatory decisions are imminent. If that’s the case, and the European Commission, CMA, or others approve, it adds to Microsoft’s resolve, and the company will definitely fight (and almost certainly win) against the FTC in court, so long as the FTC is the only major opposition.
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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
