Activision Blizzard it said on Wednesday it has extended the deadline to close $69 billion (about Rs. 5,66,200 crore) and Microsoft until October 18 while the company is trying to get approval from the United Kingdom antitrust authority.
The publisher of “Call of Duty” also said that the companies have also agreed to increase the settlement amount to $ 3.5 billion (about Rs. 28,700 crore) from $ 3 billion (about Rs. 24,600 crore) if it does not close on August 29. The amount will also increase to $ 4.5 billion (about 3 crore September 16, 9).
The two US companies originally agreed to close the deal by July 18, but US efforts to block the takeover and British pressure to restructure have delayed the deal.
The US Federal Trade Commission (The cost of the FTC) A request to temporarily block the deal was rejected twice, first by a federal judge and then by an appeals court.
The British Competition and Markets Authority (Price CMA) had previously considered canceling the deal, but reversed course last week and extended the deadline for a final decision until August 29.
Governments in both countries have different concerns about the deal.
The FTC said the deal could allow Microsoft to interfere with the quality of Activision’s games or the skills of players in competing games Nintendo and Sony Groups PlayStationand to adjust prices or change the terms or availability of Activision products.
The CMA questioned whether the agreement would hinder competition in the cloud gaming market, where users can play on any device using subscriptions such as Xbox Game Pass which offers a variety of games.
Microsoft responded to these concerns by offering 10-year licenses to competitors after the deal ended. The latest was a deal with Sony Group to keep “Call of Duty” on PlayStation, Microsoft’s biggest competitor. Xbox.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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