Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been approved by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine. This development arrives shortly after the British Competition and Markets authorityattempted to block Microsoft’s blockbuster buyout offerfor theCall of Dutymaker.

The $69 billion deal has so far won approvals in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Serbia, Chile, Japan, and South Africa, in that order. Ukraine is hence the seventh country toapprove Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition, but also the first to do so since the CMA pushed back against the transaction on April 26.

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Activision Blizzard CCO Lulu Cheng Meservey thanked Ukraine for clearing the deal in an April 28 tweet reflecting on the new development. The executive described this turn of events as yet another occasion whereon “reasonable regulators looking at the facts” chose to greenlit the proposed acquisition. Her comments thus implied that the CMA’s recently formalized opposition to the deal wasn’t rooted in reality. Microsoft President Brad Smith echoed a similar sentiment earlier this week,calling the CMA’s decision to block the Activision Blizzard acquisition a “Bad Day for Britain"and all UK-based gamers.

The tech giant already confirmed its intentions to appeal the CMA’s decision. At the same time, Microsoft is also facing a legal battle over the deal with the Federal Trade Commission, who sued to block the transaction on antitrust grounds in December 2022. Not accounting for its issues with the British regulator,Microsoft could theoretically complete its Activision Blizzard acquisition without the FTC’s approval. Not least because the U.S. regulator might be hard-pressed to win a temporary injunction against the deal for the duration of the trial. However, the CMA’s recent rejection of the acquisition proposal actually strengthens the FTC’s legal position, thus making a temporary injunction more plausible.

In the meantime,Microsoftcontinues to make cloud gaming deals in spite of the CMA’s opposition to its Activision Blizzard buyout. Earlier today, the company announced it struck a 10-year partnership with European cloud gaming service Nware which will allow players to stream Xbox games on the platform. The company previously signed similar deals with Nvidia, Ubitus, and Boosteroid.

Cloud gaming is shaping up to be a key choking point for Microsoft’s pending acquisition attempt. The CMA’s recent ruling said that buying Activision Blizzard would provide Microsoft with unfair advantages in this nascent, but potentially highly lucrative, market. The regulator hence decided that outright rejecting the deal is an easier way to guarantee the cloud gaming sector remains competitive than monitoring Microsoft to ensure it’s not abusing its power over the coming years.

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