Imminent: Microsoft’s Anticipated Declaration of Descending the M&A Acquisition of Activision Blizzard Ventures to occur Within the Week, Pending CMA Sanction

Microsoft is set to announce that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been finalized, following regulatory approval from all overseeing agencies. The announcement is expected to come as early as Friday, October 13, 2023.

Reports indicate that the only remaining agency yet to approve the deal is the CMA of the United Kingdom. However, Microsoft anticipates that the CMA will make their decision known sometime between today and next week. It is worth noting that the CMA’s most recent statement indicated no significant obstacles. As part of the agreement, Microsoft will be required to sell game rights to Ubisoft within the country, as proposed.

Microsoft announced their intent to acquire Activision Blizzard back in January 2022. If the deal is completed next week, it would mark over 20 months since Microsoft first initiated the approval process.

TLDR: Microsoft is prepared to announce the completion of their acquisition of Activision Blizzard, pending final approval from the CMA. This deal has been in the works for over 20 months and includes the requirement to sell game rights to Ubisoft within the United Kingdom.