Video recording of Microsoft's merger press conference in Brussels has surfaced

Video footage of Microsoft's press conference in Brussels has surfaced, revealing the entirety of what MSFT President Brad Smith said during the event.

February 21 was a big day for the Microsoft-Activision merger. Regulators at the European Commission held a closed-door hearing on the merger, and Microsoft was given time to present new concessions that it had independently created with competitors. That day Microsoft announced that it had signed 10-year agreements to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms and NVIDIA's GeForce Now service, satisfying potential access issues on console and game streaming. This was a master stroke on Microsoft's part, and here's why.

Shortly after the private hearing with the EC, Microsoft held a press conference in Brussels to publicly announce the 10-year deals, reiterate its key points, present some interesting data, and admonish Sony for its unwillingness to deal.

Microsoft President Brad Smith says that the 10-year deals are good for competition and that Call of Duty will be brought to 150 million more people as a result of its partnerships with NVIDIA and Nintendo. These deals are beneficial for everyone, but seem to be most beneficial for Microsoft--not only are the deals lucrative for Xbox, but this was basically a maneuver that Microsoft had been holding its back pocket.

The deals have apparently worked quite well. Reports indicate that Microsoft's 10-year Call of Duty deals, which are described as a type of behavioral remedy, have swayed European regulators. The European Commission is expected to have approved the remedy offers and may not force Microsoft to divest portions of Activision (or split up Activision Blizzard King to reduce anti-competitive effects).

The European Commission will publish its final decision on April 25.