Microsoft is planning to finalize its proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard next week. The Verge states that the company is keeping an eye on Friday, October 13th as the closing datewhere he will announce to the world that the 20-month process to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, it ended.
That date will still depend on the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), a body that blocked the Microsoft deal earlier this year. Microsoft recently restructured the deal to transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft, and as a result the Xbox maker gained preliminary approval from the CMA late last month.
The CMA has a deadline expiring today for gathering views on whether to grant Microsoft consent to proceed with the merger. A final decision by the CMA is expected next week and, barring any surprise last-minute changes, should allow Microsoft to close its deal.
A final CMA decision is imminent
Microsoft and Activision recently extended the deal deadline until October 18, but if Microsoft manages to close the deal next week, it will close a 20-month process of regulatory approvals and battles in Europe and the United States a little earlier than expected.
Earlier this year, the CMA blocked the UK deal due to cloud concerns, just weeks before the EU approved the deal for Microsoft’s key cloud concessions. The regulatory battles in Europe come months after the FTC initially sued to block Activision Blizzard’s U.S. acquisition last year. The FTC then failed to obtain an injunction to stop Microsoft from finalizing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, part of five grueling days of evidence and testimony in June.
The FTC is still appealing the outcome of that hearing to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, but it is too late. Microsoft must close before then. This FTC hearing is scheduled for December, and with that said, Microsoft’s plans are to close the acquisition next Friday.
2023-10-06 10:41:59
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