Microsoft’s long journey to acquire gaming giant Activision Blizzard is finally coming to an end. According to the edge, a source familiar with Microsoft’s plans indicated that Friday, October 13, was the target date for the deal to close. Ignoring the infamy of the date (it seems Microsoft and Activision Blizzard executives aren’t too superstitious), it’s not a surprising day to choose. Back in July, the two parties jointly entered into an agreement Agreed to extend the deal deadline to October 18. To address any further regulatory concerns. At the time of publication, that date is only twelve days away, so the deal will have to close soon.
Still, Microsoft’s legal department has a few more legal challenges to deal with before it’s completely out of the woods. After restructuring the terms of the merger to give Ubisoft the rights to stream Activision Blizzard games in the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority gave preliminary approval to the deal, but the regulator still has a final assessment due shortly before 18 October. have to do Microsoft and Activision Blizzard took this as a big win.
We are encouraged by this positive development in the CMA review process. We presented solutions that we believe will fully address the CMA’s remaining concerns regarding cloud game streaming, and we will continue to work to obtain approval to close before October 18. .
— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) 22 September 2023
The news follows the companies’ victory at the Federal Trade Commission in July. At this point, it looks like the deal will go through, ending a saga that began nearly two years ago. After leaking documents from the hearings and revealing plans to acquire Microsoft’s hybrid console, a new Xbox model, and other companies like Sega and Bungie, Microsoft may be ready to put the whole thing behind it.
[Source: The Verge]
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