Microsoft Activision-Blizzard Deal Approved In New Zealand

Another country has approved Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. This evening the New Zealand Commerce Commission gave clearance to Microsoft to move forward with the purchase of Activision-Blizzard, pushing the company one step ahead to closing the largest acquisition in gaming history.

ConComs approval of the Activision-Blizzard dealSo far the deal has been approved in over two dozen countries, including the EU, China, Brazil, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and other major markets. The UK is still a holdout, where the CMA has been seeking to block the deal on grounds that the deal could increase anticompetitiveness in the cloud gaming market, a market in which Microsoft has made numerous remedies and concessions. 

In the US, the FTC recently lost its case against Activision-Blizzard, allowing the deal to move forward with US regulators. The deal has a final deadline of October 2023, which was extended from last month as the two parties were not able to secure approval from regulators in the UK. The CMA is expected to make a final decision regarding the deal by August 29th.