Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is one step closer to being finalized. The transaction has been approved without restriction in the country of Brazil, according to Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). While this is great news for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, there are still many regulatory approvals to go, including the FTC, European Commission, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard announced in January of 2022 that Microsoft had agreed to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 million in an all-cash sale, based on a per-share price of $95.
In a statement, General Superintendent of CADE Alexandre Barreto De Souza concluded “Based on §1 of art. 50 of Law No. 9,784, of 1999, I integrate the reasons of Opinion No. 21/2022/CGAA3/SGA1/SG (SEI No. 1128655 ) to this decision, including its motivation. Pursuant to arts. 13, XII, and 57, I, of Law No. 12,529, of 2011, I decide to approve this merger without restrictions.”
The transaction has drawn both joy and ire from gamers all over the world. Fans claim that the transaction will bring gaming forward and do much to bolster Microsoft’s first-party titles. Critics claim unfair competition as Activision Blizzard is one of the biggest game publishers in the world.
We’ve reached out to both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard for comment, but had not received correspondence in time for publishing. We will update this article should we receive correspondence.