After the West, it is the turn of the Asian countries to add their participation in this long soap opera to 69 billion dollars.
While China recently approved the operation (not without a complex standoff between Activision Blizzard and the Chinese government), now South Korea has just given the unconditional green light for this extravagant takeover by Microsoft.
The land of the morning calm said “yes”
In recent weeks, we can say that there have been a lot of changes when it comes to the takeover of the creators of Diablo, Overwatch or World of Warcraft. While the situation in the West is half fig, half grape between the blocking of the British CMA, the investigation of the American FTC and the consent of the European Union, things seem to be going better in Asia.
In a few days, Microsoft has indeed received the blessing of China, and more recently of South Korea, unconditionally. According to the arguments of the Korean authority, this takeover would not endanger competition on the local game console market, due to Xbox’s low share in this field.
The country of the morning calm therefore joins the spirit of the European Union, completely leaving aside the problem of cloud gaming, an argument which motivated the blocking by the CMA. A decision which has also caused a certain outcry among players in this market.
Obstacles are falling one after another, but…
In the current state of affairs, the British competition authority therefore finds itself in the position of the village of Asterix: alone in resisting the conqueror Microsoft. The American firm has also officially announced that it is appealing the decision of the CMA, the verdict of which is however not likely to be rendered for several months, while still being able to remain unfavourable.
It is also without counting on the result of the investigation by the American FTC, which must render its judgment in the months to come. On its own soil, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is apparently not seen with a very friendly eye. Sony was reportedly involved in the investigation, ordered to reveal how much it pays to keep its PlayStation exclusives.
In the event that the FTC joins the CMA, Microsoft will also have to embark on a lengthy appeal process. Remember also that, from July 18, the firm will have to return to see if Activision Blizzard is still up for the takeover. Otherwise, the entity will receive a check for three billion dollars for the inconvenience.
Despite a generally favorable situation for Microsoft, this 69 billion dollar soap opera is still quite far from having found its true outcome.
Source : Korea JoongAng Daily
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