Even as we wait for the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority to make its final decision on Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a new report suggests that Microsoft could go ahead and soon $69. Could close a big billion dollar deal.
The New York Post Unnamed sources have reported that Microsoft is feeling confident that the UK CMA will approve the deal. The decision is expected later today. Also, the company is confident that the European Commission of the European Union will give its blessing to the acquisition. The decision is expected to be announced on or before May 22.
There is still the US Federal Trade Commission, which filed a lawsuit against the deal in December 2022. However, if the UK and EU approve the deal, the Post article says it will be difficult for the FTC to challenge Microsoft’s acquisition in court. “They’re going to shove it down the FTC’s throat,” an unnamed source told the Post.
The FTC could file in a US court for a temporary injunction to block the deal, but according to the unnamed source, that could also be a lost cause:
If Microsoft makes a deal with the British and EU, it can say that antitrust concerns are gone, and that’s not a helpful fact for the FTC if you’re a judge.
All of this means Microsoft could become Blizzard’s new owner before the end of June 2023, subject to regulatory approval.
