Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has remained in limbo for many months, pending approval from competition watchdogs around the world. On the way to closing the deal, however, the companies now appear to be taking a decisive step closer.
As the Financial Times Now reported, Microsoft is probably a decisive step closer to its goal of buying Activision Blizzard this week. Accordingly, the British Competition and Markets Authority, the CMA, should now give its approval to the deal; the corresponding announcement is to be made in the coming days.
In the recent past, more and more authorities had approved the takeover, for example in South Africa and Japan. Microsoft would now strike the next blow in Great Britain, because the takeover had been viewed very critically there for a long time. Should a final decision be made in favor of Microsoft on Wednesday, a major hurdle would be cleared.
Things continue to look more critical in the United States, where the responsible Federal Trade Commission FTC has initiated legal proceedings against the planned deal. The approval of the European Commission is still pending for the time being.
In recent months, Microsoft has tried to allay concerns about the exclusivity of large series like Call of Duty on the Xbox by assuring companies like Nintendo the franchise for at least 10 years in a contract. Such an agreement was also signed with NVIDIA in relation to GeForce NOW.
