China is 37th Country to OK Activision Blizzard Acquisition

Microsoft keeps racking up victories in its attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard, with China becoming the 37th nation to OK the deal. Or something.

“China’s unconditional clearance of our acquisition of Activision Blizzard follows clearance decisions from jurisdictions such as the European Union and Japan, bringing the total to 37 countries representing more than two billion people,” a Microsoft statement notes. “The acquisition combined with our recent commitments to the European Commission will empower consumers worldwide to play more games on more devices.”

News of China’s approval of the $69 billion deal comes just days after the European Commission (EC) issued a its own approval; 27 of the 37 countries that have approved the deal are in the EU.

But two major regulator bodies, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the UK Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), have moved to block the acquisition, despite overwhelming support for it within each country. Microsoft is appealing both decisions.