By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Monday described the deal as "pro-competitive" and that it would "kickstart" the cloud streaming market, which represents just 1% to 3% of the entire gaming market.

The EU's Vestager said the difference in conclusions between EU and UK regulators centered on how quickly the cloud gaming market would develop in the future.

"We agree that the cloud streaming market is a promising market. We may disagree about the speed at which it will develop," Vestager said, adding that the EU sees a longer development period for cloud gaming than the UK.

Chance of success in legal challenges to the FTC and CMA remain low according to Bloomberg.

While the EU decision offers a glimmer of hope, "it probably doesn't change much" for Microsoft's chances of success in legal challenges to the FTC and CMA, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jennifer Rie.

That's "because each jurisdiction has made its decision based on the market conditions in their own region," she said. "These conditions may differ, which can lead to a different conclusion on the antitrust impact of a deal."

The deal will unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers according to the EC.

The European Commission defended its findings, saying that the commitments will empower millions of European consumers "to stream Activision's games using any cloud gaming services" operating in the EU region.

"The commitments will unlock significant benefits for competition and consumers, by bringing Activision's games to new platforms, including smaller EU players, and to more devices than before," a statement from the commission said.

Microsoft’s (MSFT) $69 Billion Activision (ATVI) Deal Wins EU Approval - Bloomberg