Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, the government body that must approve the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft on behalf of the UK, is more positive about the deal. Concerns about competition in the gaming hardware market have subsided, but not yet in terms of cloud gaming.

CMA states It now estimates that Microsoft will not benefit from making the Call of Duty franchise exclusive to Xbox. “CMA’s original analysis indicated that this strategy would be profitable in most scenarios. However, the new data provides a better understanding of the actual buying behavior of CoD players. It follows that this strategy would be a huge loss in any plausible scenario.” Therefore, the initial conclusion of the CMA is that the acquisition will not significantly reduce competition in the game console space.

The CMA continues to “carefully evaluate” the responses it has received regarding cloud gaming and is not commenting on this at this time, but it is clear that concerns have not subsided in this area. Microsoft recently signed agreements with Nvidia, Boosteroid, and Ubitus. The first is access to Call of Duty and other titles on GeForce NOW, and the second and third are also game streaming services. Microsoft is taking steps in this area to mitigate these concerns.

The Capital Market Authority adheres to the deadline for issuing a final judgment. It’s April 26th. The decision has been lifted by the European Commission, which also approves the acquisition. The commission is also more positive about the deal than it was initially. He will deliver his verdict on May 22. Microsoft wants to pay $68.7 billion for Activision Blizzard.

The US Federal Trade Commission is another stumbling block that Microsoft has to overcome. The commission filed an antitrust suit against the company in December because it feared the acquisition would hinder competition in the gaming market. The first session will be held in August this year.