Microsoft has just become Macrosoft. <\/p>
After many months of legal wrangling, bizarre streaming deals with EE and console fanboys at each other\u2019s throats, the CMA has finally approved Microsoft\u2019s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard-King in the UK \u2013 with the Xbox<\/a> parent company overcoming the \u201cfinal regulatory hurdle\u201d.<\/p>\n The CMA blocked the deal in April<\/a>, citing concerns over Microsoft having a monopoly over cloud streaming, a move Microsoft chief Brad Smith said<\/a> was \u201cbad for Britain\u201d.<\/p>\n Under the finalised deal, Microsoft will be handing over the cloud streaming reins to Ubisoft in territories outside of the European Economic Area, which the UK is no longer part of due to Brexit.<\/p>\n The handover, as CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell put it<\/a>, is to ensure that \u201cMicrosoft can\u2019t have a stranglehold over this important and rapidly developing market\u201d.<\/p>\n Regulators suspect that video game streaming will see meteoric growth over the coming years and become many people\u2019s first port of call for gaming, much in the same way that the likes of Netflix<\/a>, Amazon Prime<\/a> and Disney Plus<\/a> have taken a large chunk out of terrestrial television market.<\/p> Ubisoft only has the distribution rights for cloud streaming, however; the large IPs such as Call of Duty<\/a>, World of Warcraft, Diablo<\/a> and Candy Crush belong to Microsoft outright, and will no doubt be a huge boost to their revenue streams, with many likely subscribing to Xbox Game Pass<\/a>\u00a0to play the latest Call of Duty without paying \u00a370 for the pleasure.<\/p>\n Given how big Call of Duty is on PlayStation<\/a>, and the fact Xbox Game Pass isn\u2019t available on Sony\u2019s console, Microsoft stands to make a lot of money by continuing to sell CoD at full price to the 40 million PS5 owners.<\/p>\n As Game Pass\u2019s roster continues to grow, Team Green will hope to see their next-gen console become the system of choice as Microsft steals mind-share from the competition, especially when titles such as Starfield<\/a> and the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6<\/a> remain exclusive to their platform.<\/p>\n In the here and now, though, the CMA hopes that splitting up the deal will \u201cpreserve competitive prices\u201d, as Microsoft won\u2019t be the only large player in the market.<\/p>