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A total of thirty-seven regulators have expressed their approval so far, although the acquisition still faces obstacles in the UK and the US.
Microsoft's bid to acquire Activision Blizzard has received approval from China's State Administration.
The news was initially reported on Seeking Alpha, which cited information from capital market firm Dealreporter. According to Dealreporter, the State Administration for Market Regulation granted unconditional approval for the $68.7 billion deal after conducting a Phase 3 investigation. Additionally, a Microsoft spokesperson sent a statement to IGN, confirming the approval.
"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," the statement reads. "The acquisition combined with our recent commitments to the European Commission will empower consumers worldwide to play more games on more devices."
China's approval follows the green lights given by Ukraine, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, and most notably the European Union, which made its decision public last week.
The EU is one of the three crucial markets that Microsoft must win over to proceed with the deal. However, the acquisition faces hurdles as regulators in the other two markets, namely the UK's Competition and Markets Authority and the US Federal Trade Commission, have both taken actions to block it.
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