Microsoft is preparing to offer concessions to European Union regulators in an effort to get approval for its $68.7 billion deal for Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, a report from Reuters said Monday, citing anonymous sources.
The deal, which was announced earlier this year, is the largest ever for the software maker and also within the video game industry. Microsoft, which also makes the Xbox video game console, has been speaking with regulators around the world in an effort to gain approval for its acquisition. Microsoft earlier said it expects to complete the deal sometime around the summer of 2023.
Representatives for Microsoft and Activision didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Microsoft’s willingness to offer concessions, which Reuters didn’t outline in its story, comes days after Politico reported that the US Federal Trade Commission is “likely” to file an antitrust suit fighting the deal as well.
It also comes after one of its biggest competitors, Sony’s PlayStation division, has repeatedly raised concerns that Microsoft’s deal for Activision could give it unfair power within the game industry. Microsoft has publicly made assurances it will continue to offer Activision’s hit Call of Duty war simulation game for competitor’s devices, including the PlayStation.
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