China has approved Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
As first reported by SeekingAlpha, China is the latest regulatory body to give its approval to Microsoft, as part of the company’s ongoing bid to purchase the Call of Duty and Overwatch maker.
China follows the likes of Brazil and, more recently, the European Commission.
In a statement shared with Eurogamer regarding this approval, a Microsoft spokesperson reiterated the company’s commitment to bring its games to more people, on more devices.
“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,” it stated.
“The acquisition combined with our recent commitments to the European Commission will empower consumers worldwide to play more games on more devices.”
China’s approval of this deal comes just weeks after the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) dramatically blocked Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard, citing concerns over the deal’s proposed impact on the cloud gaming sector.
In its final report, the CMA said Microsoft’s ownership of Activision Blizzard risked “stifling competition in this growing market”. In response, Microsoft has said it will appeal.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has continued to make agreements with companies such as cloud gaming platform Nware.
This partnership with Nware is Microsoft’s latest signed agreement to bring Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games to more people, it said. Over the recent months, it has made similar agreements with Nintendo, Steam, Nvidia, Boosteroid, Ubitus and EE.
Now, all eyes are on the United States government’s Federal Trade Commission, which is suing to block Microsoft’s $69bn USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard, claiming the deal would allow the company to suppress its games industry competition.
Blizzard has something of a rocky relationship with the Chinese games industry, blaming NetEase earlier this year for the fact many of its games are now unplayable in the country. NetEase has reportedly since filed a lawsuit against Blizzard.
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