Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
With a more than $68 billion USD deal on the line, many eyes are resting on Microsoft and Activison Blizzard’s upcoming merger and awaiting possible finalization of the deal. There are still quite a few probes, investigations, and scrutiny from international authorities going on, determining whether or not the deal violates any anti-trust or anti-competitive regulations, but it seems one of those investigations may be at an end soon. Microsoft has reportedly met the US Federal Trade Commission’s demands for information and leaves the government organization with about a month to issue any final challenges.
Microsoft reportedly finished sending along information demanded by the FTC regarding the Activision Blizzard deal fairly recently, as reported by paywalled news site Dealmaker. With said information provided, Microsoft has allegedly triggered a 30-day window in which the FTC can now respond with further challenges, investigations, or demands for information, as laid out in the FTC’s own filed guidance. It remains to be seen if the FTC will do so, but if it doesn’t, approval of the deal should immediately follow in August 2022.
The $68.7 billion Microsoft and Activision Blizzard deal has been under a wealth of scrutiny by anti-trust and business authorities since shortly after its announcement. Previously, SEC and EU authorities had finished approval of the deal, allowing for it to go forward. The FTC’s approval would be another major hurdle cleared as the merger moves towards completion. However, as previously mentioned, the FTC still has around a month to determine if there are any further issues with the deal.
As we await further confirmation on the FTC’s decision regarding Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s deal, it’s worth noting that PlayStation Studios recently finished its own large acquisition of Bungie just last week. Stay tuned as we await further updates and confirmations on the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger in the near future.