Microsoft says China approves its plan to buy video game-maker Activision Blizzard

Microsoft said Friday that China has unconditionally approved its plan to buy video game company Activision Blizzard, even as the deal still faces antitrust opposition in the U.S. and United Kingdom.

China’s approval is complicated by the fact that Activision Blizzard stopped offering many of its games in mainland China earlier this year because of a dispute with its local publishing partner.

China and the European Union are the two biggest economies to have approved Microsoft's planned $69 billion takeover of the California game publisher behind popular titles such as World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Candy Crush.

European regulators representing the 27-nation bloc approved the deal Monday on condition that Microsoft make some promises meant to boost competition in the emerging cloud-based gaming market.