According to a new report by The Verge, Microsoft's long acquisition struggle to own Activision Blizzard should be over next week.
It has been a journey for the tech giant on their path to acquiring the World of Warcraft and Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. However, that long journey appears to be at an end, at least according to areport by The Verge's Tom Warren.
The report states that, barring a last-minute issue with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, the deal could be closed as early as next week. The CMA, if you'll recall, blocked the deal over concerns to do with Microsoft's cloud gaming rights in the country. Microsoft seems to have satisfied the UK regulator by selling the cloud streaming rights for Activision Blizzard games to Assassin's Creed maker Ubisoft through 2038.
As a result, the deal has been preliminarily approved by the CMA, and barring a last-minute reversal of fortunes, Microsoft seems poised to complete the deal immediately after the CMA approves the sale next week. This would also mean the sale would conclude before the extended deadline, which was required due to the CMA and FTC challenges.
The deal's deadline to close was extended to October 18th, but if the report holds true, we could see the deal close well before that deadline approaches. Of course, if there is any issue crossing the finish line, the two companies could extend yet again to get the deal done in the end.
Activision Blizzard
Acquisition
Tom Warren