Played a bit of Soulcalibur again recently.

10 out of 19 characters played through Arcade mode.

I'm liking the jump of quality from Soul Edge (PS1) to Soulcalibur.

Commerce Commission - Microsoft Corporation; Activision Blizzard Inc

New Zealand has approved the deal after delaying it about 1,000 times.

Probably even more evidence that UK is approving it.

Australia will very likely now approve it too as they often work together.

Took em a year, their longest case ever, multiple delays, to come to the conclusion that it would be fine

There ain't no way they weren't just waiting to see what happens with the UK.

Seems likely yeah. 

Good news (not that their blocking would have changed anything anyway). Just waiting to see what's the hold up at the CMA, the 29th is fastly approaching and it's been completely quiet on that front. 

That is because they are looking for a way to turn down MS again and make it look like a huge win government regulation on big tech.  The tears that is going to be shed will be epic.  After that MS will have a choice to continue to fight, leave the UK market or play some other game.  Anyway, we should get a betting pool started.  What would be the odds the CMA deny MS a second time

Just rolled credits on Arcade Paradise last night. As a gamer old enough to remember old-school arcades of the 80's, this was a fun hit of nostalgia. You play as a college dropout who has inherited a family laundromat from your dad that you slowly convert into a full-blown arcade. You play the arcade games to increase their popularity and thus their income. They don't have any real arcade games, but have fun takes of many classics like Pac-Man, Arkanoid, Missile Command, Galaga, etc.

So to me, this was a solid 8/10. It's on Game Pass and I think is just $20 to buy.

The CMA is definitely going to nix the deal. They see MS shimming all over Twitter/X and they must be thinking "Yeah, celebrate now but wait until we drop this bomb on you and see who laugh last."

"We're cleared to move forward with our acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 41 countries" I'm probably reading too much into this comment but sounds like they're going ahead even if the UK blocks it again.