Magellan was sponsored by Spain to travel west across the Atlantic in search of the East Indies. In doing so, his expedition became the first from Europe to cross the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigate the world.

Vasco da Gama's famous exploration to India in the late 15th century was driven by a desire to establish direct trade routes to the source of valuable spices and other goods, bypassing the overland trade routes controlled by the Ottoman Empire.

However, in April 2024, the government body prevented the proposed purchase over concerns about the future of the cloud gaming market . Microsoft did present a solution to the CMA, which was deemed not adequate and thus rejected. As a result, both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard appealed the decision.

The C.M.A. initially blocked the deal because, it said, a merger between the maker of a top-selling console with the publisher of hit games threatened to stunt the development of the emerging area of cloud gaming technology.