Microsoft gets green light to buy Call of Duty maker in biggest tech deal in history

Activision's Call of Duty franchise is a lucrative part of the Microsoft merger. Credit: Tom Hoggins

Microsoft's $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard's £56 billion takeover has been cleared by Britain's competition regulator after an earlier decision to block the deal was overturned.

The Competition and Markets Authority ( The CMA said it would approve the merger after Microsoft removed the Call of Duty developer's cloud streaming rights from its plans.

Regulators had previously ruled out approving the deal over concerns it could give the tech giant a stranglehold on the fast-growing cloud gaming market.

However, CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said Microsoft had now «comprehensively addressed» the concerns.

Microsoft President Brad Smith welcomed the news on social media: “We are grateful to the CMA for its thorough review and today's decision.

“We have now cleared the final regulatory hurdle to close this acquisition, which we believe will benefit players and the gaming industry worldwide.”

In August, Microsoft said it would give cloud gaming rights to Activision for PC and console games. video game publisher Ubisoft.

It comes after Mr Smith accused the UK of being «closed for business» following the CMA's initial refusal.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also intervened into the debate as he called on the CMA to «understand its wider responsibilities.»

In May he said: «I think one of the reasons why companies like Microsoft and Google want to invest in the UK , is that we have independent regulators who are not controlled by politicians, so they can be confident that the playing field will be level.”

British competition watchdogs have also come under pressure after after their EU counterparts abandoned the agreement in the spring.

>Brussels said it “based its decision on strong evidence, as well as extensive information and feedback from competitors and customers.”