While PlayStation maker Sony is leaving no stone unturned in preventing the deal between Microsoft and Call of Duty publisher Activision from happening, the situation appears to be in favor of the Xbox maker. At least that’s what the recent development indicates. There’s a good news coming from Chile for the proposed merger that was announced earlier this year.
In case anyone missed the events, Chile’s economic agency FNE (Fiscalia Nacional Economica) just recently approved the Microsoft-Activision deal. And a major reason for that focus on the Call of Duty franchise itself.
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Chile approves Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Call of Duty publisher Activision just days before the end of 2022
Taking the latest progression of the deal into consideration, Chile’s agency is now the fourth regulator across the globe to pass the record-setting $68.7 billion deal. The FNE regulatory office revealed the official update on its website. It mentioned that the proposed acquisition has been approved in the Phase 1 proceedings. In the US, UK, and European Union, the deal is still being scrutinized in Phases 2 and 3.
Coming to the important news itself; according to FNE, the merger between Microsoft and Call of Duty publisher won’t necessarily affect the competition in Chile. Another reason could be that the gaming franchise itself is not very much popular in the South America compared to other regions. The latter is an interesting detail to note.
The blog from FNE reads that “the relevance of Call of Duty would be comparatively lower in Latin America than in other regions of the world”. (Translated from Spanish via Google)
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All things considered, though, the main crux is that the deal has now been approved by four regulators so far. Previously, agencies in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Serbia have already passed the merger without expressing any major objection.
It looks like Sony’s efforts to stop the acquisition of the Call of Duty publisher are not proving enough. On the other hand, people at Microsoft and Activision will surely take a breath of relief after this good news and why not. They can end 2022 on a positive note while entering in the new year.
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What are your thoughts on the ambitious deal and its future? Will it eventually get approved by all the regulators in 2023? Let us know in the comments down below.
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