Microsoft makes case for Activision merger amid EU scrutiny

Microsoft’s Xbox video game division has announced new partnerships with Nintendo and chipmaker Nvidia. The moves come as Microsoft is trying to persuade European regulators to approve its planned $68.7 billion takeover of game publishing giant Activision Blizzard. A key audience for the announcements were the European Union antitrust regulators who held a closed-door meeting Tuesday with executives from Microsoft and some of their competitors, including Sony and Google. Microsoft announced a 10-year agreement with chipmaker Nvidia to bring Xbox games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service. Microsoft also said it has now signed a similar deal with Nintendo, formalizing a commitment it revealed late last year.