Microsoft Pushes to Get Activision Done With Fresh UK Offer

  • Microsoft commits to divesting certain rights to Ubisoft
  • UK starts new deal probe saying it isn’t a “green light”
Microsoft, Activision Deal Gets New Life With Fresh UK Probe
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Microsoft Corp.’s $69 billion Activision Blizzard Inc. acquisition got a new chance at winning approval from UK regulators after the tech giant submitted a substantially different deal to the country’s antitrust watchdog.

In a rare move, the Competition and Markets Authority will open a new probe after Microsoft said it would give French video-game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment SA cloud-streaming rights for Activision games, potentially easing concerns over its potential to control the nascent but fast-growing market. The CMA has set a new deadline of Oct. 18 for an initial ruling.