Microsoft could close the Activision Blizzard acquisition this week as major regulators, including CMA UK, are set to release their final reports and findings.
Activision Blizzard could edge closer to becoming a part of Microsoft in the coming days as UK Competition and Markets Authority (UK CMA) are set to release their final report on this proposed acquisition which would see Xbox own franchises like Call of Duty , World of Warcraft , Overwatch and more.
UK CMA are set to release their final report on this proposed deal on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. This decision is a key one for the deal as Microsoft have already said that they will close the acquisition if they get approval from UK and EU regulators, despite the lawsuit from the FTC.
In their recent report, UK CMA sided with Microsoft, stating that the deal would not hurt the competition in the consoles space. Their concerns are related to the cloud but Microsoft have been working hard to ease that fear by signing deals with cloud service providers in Europe.
Other key dates for the deal include May 22, 2023, when the EU regulators will reveal their final decision and June 1, 2023, when China's regulatory body are set to release their findings.
While New Zealand announced another delay for their decision, this won't affect the potential closure as their approval is not required anyway.
Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal: Key Dates
- April 26: UK CMA final report
- May 2023: Korea Regulator's decision
- May 2023: China Regulator's decision
- May 22: EU Regulator's decision deadline
Call of Duty
Microsoft stated that they fully expect to close the deal by June 2023 and it looks like that could still happen, despite the FTC lawsuit, which is expected to drag a bit, unless the regulatory body drop the case.
Either way, this long saga is coming to an end which is probably music to Xbox fans' ears as the company can now finally start focusing on delivering highly anticipated titles in 2023.
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