According to Reuters, Microsoft Corp is likely to obtain EU regulators’ permission for its $69 billion acquisition of Activision by offering license arrangements to rivals.
The European Commission, which is expected to make a decision on the merger by April 25, is not likely to need Microsoft to sell assets in order to get clearance, sources said.
According to one of the sources, the corporation is likely to have given alternative behavioral adjustments to assuage the worries of parties other than Sony. Such remedies usually allude to the merging company’s future behavior.
Activision shares were up 2.6% in late trade after rising 1.8% in pre-market trading following the publication of the Reuters story.
Microsoft President Brad Smith claimed last month that the company was prepared to provide competitor licensing arrangements to resolve antitrust concerns, but that it would not sell Activision’s valuable “Call of Duty” property.
The company added that “Our commitment to grant long term 100% equal access to Call of Duty to Sony, Steam, NVIDIA and others preserves the deal’s benefits to gamers and developers and increases competition in the market,”
The acquisition faces regulatory challenges in the United Kingdom, where the UK Competition Commission has urged that Microsoft sell Call of Duty to satisfy its concerns, and in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has requested a judge to block the deal.
