Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizens Wu Yanzu in South China for the delivery of clues! CTOnews.com, August 22 (Xinhua) Microsoft is reorganizing its proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition, transferring cloud game rights for Activision Blizzard's current and new games to Ubisoft. The transfer is intended to reassure UK regulators who are concerned that Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion deal (CTOnews.com Note: about RMB 500.823 billion) will have an impact on competition in cloud games.

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, said: "to address concerns about the impact of the proposed acquisition proposed by the UK Competition and Market Authority on cloud gaming streaming, we are restructuring the deal to gain a narrower range of rights. This includes the implementation of an agreement that takes effect at the end of our merger to transfer cloud game rights for all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and mainframe games released over the next 15 years to Ubisoft Entertainment SA, the world's leading game publisher, which will be permanent. "

The restructuring deal means that if Microsoft does complete the proposed deal, it will not be able to take exclusive action on Blizzard's game on Xbox Cloud. Microsoft also has no exclusive control over the license terms for Activision Blizzard games on competitor services.

"Ubisoft will compensate Microsoft for cloud game rights in Activision Blizzard games through an one-time payment and market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including options that support pricing based on usage," Smith explained. "this will also give Ubisoft the opportunity to provide Activision Blizzard games to cloud gaming services running non-Windows operating systems."

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) first blocked Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in April, citing cloud gaming issues, and then agreed to negotiate with Microsoft after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lost its case in US federal court last month. Now, as a result of Microsoft's restructuring deal, CMA has announced that it has entered a new stage of investigation and set a legal deadline for October 18-the deal extension date recently agreed with Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft is now not expected to complete its acquisition of Activision Blizzard until early October, a person familiar with the matter told The Verge.

The restructured deal will not affect Microsoft's obligations to the European Commission. Microsoft has reached a number of cloud game agreements with EU regulators and obtained European Commission approval for Activision Blizzard's deal, including providing consumers in EU countries with a free license to stream all current and future Activision Blizzard PC and console games they have licenses through "any cloud game service of their choice".

"the structure of the agreement with Ubisoft gives Microsoft the rights it needs to fully meet its legal obligations to the European Commission, as well as its existing contractual obligations to other cloud game streaming providers, including Nvidia, Boosteroid, Ubitus and Nware," Smith said.

The Competition and Markets Authority will review the revised deal in the coming weeks and make a decision by October 18. "this is not a green light. We will carefully and objectively assess the details of the readjusted transaction and its impact on competition, including taking into account the views of third parties." Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the UK Competition and Market Authority, said: "our goal has not changed-any future decision on this new deal will ensure that the growing cloud gaming market continues to benefit from open and effective competition." promote innovation and choice. "

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