Microsoft might finally be able to complete its purchase Activision Blizzard once an upcoming UK verdict is delivered.
According to The Verge, insiders within Microsoft and the Xbox brand believe that on October 13, the company will be able to close the deal on the AAA developer/publisher and complete the purchase. Currently, the last hurdle to clear is the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, which had blocked the deal for various reasons. To counter this, Microsoft reworked the deal in an attempt to soothe any fears the CMA might have about the merger and how it might affect the game industry.
Xbox Finally Getting Activision Blizzard?
The act of Microsoft trying to purchase Activision Blizzard caused a firestorm within the gaming community, specifically with Sony. The gaming rival took Microsoft to court alongside the FTC in a bid to stop the deal over claims that Microsoft would have a kind of monopoly over several of the biggest IPs in the gaming space. The biggest one is Call of Duty, which has been one of the best-selling titles for many years. Microsoft countered this by noting numerous times that it wouldn’t make that franchise or others within the purchase exclusive to the Xbox brand. The company even made a 10-year deal with Nintendo to ensure future titles come to its systems.
During the court case, Microsoft freely admitted that the reason it was trying to buy Activision Blizzard was because it needed to improve its gaming ranks and ensure it could get more exclusive titles for its brand. This is also one of the reasons the company bought Bethesda and get its numerous IPs, including recently released hits like Starfield. Microsoft noted that it was lagging between Sony and Nintendo and needed to “get their chunk of the market” or else be left behind.
The CMA had a deadline before making a decision, which happens to have been yesterday. It will announce its decision next week about whether it feels the deal should go through or not. Meanwhile, the FTC hasn’t given up on its case against Microsoft and the merger and has filed an appeal to try and stop the deal in its tracks. However, that appeal won’t be ruled on until December, so Microsoft could still announce the purchase going through should the CMA approve it.
Microsoft will make the announcement itself should the deal go through.
Source: The Verge
