Microsoft agreed to sell cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft
UK39;s CMA divestment addresses its concerns
CMA says better if remedy had been put on table earlier
Deal set to clear one of last hurdles

LONDON, Sept 22 Microsoft39;s restructured 69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard opens the door to the biggest ever gaming deal being cleared, Britain39;s antitrust regulator said on Friday.

Microsoft announced the deal in early 2022, but it was blocked in April by Britain39;s competition regulator, which was concerned the U.S. tech giant would gain too much control of the nascent cloud gaming market.

In August, Call of Duty maker Activision agreed to sell its streaming rights to Ubisoft Entertainment in a new attempt to win over the Competition and Markets Authority CMA.

The CMA said on Friday that the Ubisoft divestment substantially addresses previous concerns.

While the CMA has identified limited residual concerns with the new deal, Microsoft has put forward remedies which the CMA has provisionally concluded should address these issues, the regulator said.

Microsoft said it was encouraged by this positive development in the CMA39;s review process.

We presented solutions that we believe fully address the CMA39;s remaining concerns related to cloud game streaming, and we will continue to work toward earning approval to close prior to the October 18 deadline, Microsoft President Brad Smith said.

Activision, which also makes World of Warcraft, Overwatch and…