Chile has become the latest country to officially give regulatory approval for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It joins Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Serbia as the fourth to do so.
The Fiscalia Nacional Economica (FNE) made the announcement on Thursday. It cited a consumer survey it had conducted with Chilean gamers, the results of which were a key part in influencing its conclusion. According to the FNC:
In the event that Call of Duty were not to be available on a player’s preferred console, they (Chilean gamers) would switch to a different game rather than switching to a different gaming platform. This result, in consistency to other relevant data confirmed the FNE’s conclusion that an input foreclosure would not prevent Microsoft’s rivals from participating in the Chilean market.
The post also stated that “Call of Duty was not found to be as relevant for the Latin American region, as it would be for the rest of the global regions.”
In related news—or rather, the latest to come out of the rumor mill—it was reported earlier this week by Level Up that the Japan Fair Trade Commission was on the verge of announcing its approval of the $68 billion Activision Blizzard deal. However as of Friday morning no such announcements have materialized from the antitrust authority. Level Up cited a tweet from the Xbox Arabia Twitter account which stated,
It appears that the Japan Fair Trade Commission jump-started the #Microsoft – #ActivisionBlizzard merger controversy and found no opposition from the players in the domestic game market.
More on this may (or may not) follow next week.
