Microsoft Wants to Placate EU Over Activision Blizzard Takeover
The stalemate over the merger of Activision Blizzard and Microsoft has been going on for a very long time. While the European Commission is screening the deal for antitrust violations, Microsoft is reaching out and offering a solution to the problem.
The case of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been dragging on for months. Several major players have been involved in the deal, most notably the European Commission, which is closely examining the venture in terms of its competitiveness with Sony. As reported by Reuters, the Redmond-based company, in an effort to end the legal tussle and be able to finally finalize the investment, has decided to propose remedies that should help the case.
What are countermeasures?
At this point it is necessary to briefly explain what countermeasures are. It is an instrument that gives the antitrust authority the opportunity to act on an entity accused of monopoly activities. They can be based on both an open catalog of prohibitions and injunctions, as well as specific measures of influence.
American proposal
Due to come to fruition in 2023, the deal incorporating Activision Blizzard into the tech giant's structures is a thorn in Sony's side. The Japanese are very much afraid of losing access to many games, including the Call of Duty series, which they describe as "irreplaceable content". The Americans have proposed an official countermeasure in the form of a ten-year licensing agreement with Sony, designed to guarantee that access to Activision Blizzard productions for a decade will be unwavering.
A possible happy ending?
At this point, the Japanese and the EU authority have not commented on the proposal. However, it is possible that this could finally be the breakthrough in the stalemate. The process of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been dragging on for months. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft is trying to get the matter resolved amicably. To spite the company, it is not only European authorities and organizations that are throwing a spanner in the works - such a suggestion was recently made by the Federal Trade Commission.
