Microsoft closes acquisition of 'Call of Duty' giant activision for $69 billion

Xbox maker Microsoft closed its blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard, whose video games include "Call of Duty" and "Candy Crush", sealing one of the biggest technology tie-ups in history after overcoming final hurdles on Friday.

In a regulatory filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the deal was completed, ending nearly two years of stiff scrutiny from regulators, including in the United States.

British regulators were the final obstacle to the deal, and they approved Microsoft's $69-billion takeover, having blocked the deal in April over competition concerns.

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The British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement Friday that it had cleared "the new deal for Microsoft to buy Activision without cloud gaming rights" after concluding "it would preserve competitive prices and better services."

Microsoft launched its takeover in January last year, aimed at making it the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue, but it faced strong headwinds from regulators.

Under the new deal, Microsoft agreed it would not take control of the cloud portion of Activision's business, which will be transferred to French studio Ubisoft for 15 years.