Today the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) published the results of its investigation on the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft.
According to the announcement, the antitrust regulator ruled in favor of the acquisition, mentioning that it wouldn't substantially harm competition. As such, the JFTC will not issue a cease and desist to block it.
This follows an announcement by the British regulator (CMA), which provisionally concluded that the acquisition won't lessen competition in the console market in the UK, which is a substantial change of its former position on the deal following the appearance of new data and evidence from various parties.
Lately, Microsoft announces deals with Nintendo, Nvidia, Boosteroid and Ubitus, publicly showcasing its willingness to bring its games to as many users as possible following the proposed acquisition of Activision and its subsidiaries, in contrast with objections Sony, which has been very active in trying to block the deal over the past few months. The house of PlayStation has appeared to be completely against the perspective oif negotiating a deal of its own, which Microsoft has publicly offered.
At the moment, it's quite challenging to gauge what the final result of this ordeal will be, as there are several regulators involved, creating a very complex situation. That being said, things appear to be slowly turning in Microsoft's favor, but we're likely still far from the end of the saga.
Microsoft and Activision still plan to complete the acquisition by the initially announced deadline of June 31, 2023, when Microsoft's fiscal year ends.
