EU Blazes Own Path on Microsoft-Activision Deal

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

Microsoft’s $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard is expected to be approved by the EU’s competition enforcers today, just weeks after the UK’s watchdog moved to block the record-breaking gaming merger. Commission approval — which is slated to be announced today but could be confirmed anytime before the May 22 deadline — comes after Microsoft made commitments to open Activision’s game library to rival platforms for a 10-year period. Alongside UK opposition, the US Federal Trade Commission also sued to block the merger. EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager has maintained that different regulators may reach different conclusions on Microsoft’s largest-ever acquisition.