Microsoft finishes $69 bln deal to acquire Call of Duty maker

Microsoft has completed its $69bn deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the maker of video games including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, after the UK’s antitrust officials cleared the planned acquisition on Friday.

Under the re-worked deal, Microsoft has handed the rights to distribute Activision’s games on consoles and PCs over the cloud to French video game publisher Ubisoft, according to the watchdog.

“I have long said that I am fully committed to helping with the transition,” Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. “[Phil Spencer and I] both look forward to working together on a smooth integration for our teams and players.”