Microsoft Activision Blizzard Acquisition
Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn
Microsoft has agreed to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard, for around $68.7bn, including net cash, in the biggest deal ever for the company.
CMA blocks Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in UK
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK has blocked Microsoft's $68.7bn (£55bn) deal to acquire video game maker Activision Blizzard.
EU approves Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard
The European Commission—the body overseeing the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger—approved the $68.7 billion deal to go forward
Federal judge blocks Microsoft/Activision deal temporarily
A federal judge in the U.S. has issued a temporary restraining order blocking Microsoft's acquisition of Activision, pending hearings on the preliminary injunction being sought by the Federal Trade Commission in the case.
US Federal Judge denies FTC injunction request as Microsoft/Activision deal moves closer
A federal judge in the U.S. has denied the Federal Trade Commission’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop Microsoft's acquisition of Activision.
CMA extends deadline for Microsoft/Activision probe
The U.K. competition regulator on Friday said it is extending the deadline for its review of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision by six weeks.
Microsoft and Activision extend merger deadline to October
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have extended the deadline of their proposed merger until 18th October this year.
Microsoft submits amended proposal to CMA over Activision merger
Microsoft has made amendments to its proposed $69bn (£54bn) takeover of Activision Blizzard, in an attempt to win over the UK competition regulator that blocked the deal.
CMA approves Microsoft Activision deal in UK
Microsoft has closed its $75bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard following its clearance by the CMA, ending 21 months of uncertainty over the video games industry’s biggest-ever deal.
Microsoft Launches $3.65 Billion Exchange for Activision Debt
Microsoft has launched an exchange offer for Activision Blizzard’s outstanding debt as part of its acquisition of the company.
The U.K. competition regulator on Friday said it is extending the deadline for its review of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision by six weeks.
The extension will give the watchdog more time to review proposals by the two parties to resolve its concerns after it paused a campaign to block the deal.
“The Inquiry Group has decided to extend by six weeks … as it considers that there are special reasons to do so. The revised period will therefore end on 29 August 2023,” the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Friday.
The British regulator has been a stalwart opponent of Microsoft’s $69-billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, inclusively blocking the deal in April over competition concerns in the nascent cloud gaming market.
The CMA appeared to soften its tone earlier in the week, signalling it was ready to resume discussions with the tech titan. That softened stance came after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block the deal was slapped down by a judge.
“We stand ready to consider any proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction in a way that would address the concerns set out in our Final Report,” a CMA spokesperson said via email on Tuesday.
The CMA’s concerns have centred on the likelihood of Microsoft making Activision games exclusive to its own platform, as the tech giant sets its sights on the budding cloud gaming market.
Microsoft’s multiple concession offers to the CMA has so far yet to bear fruit. These include deals to license some of Microsoft and Activision games to other cloud gaming providers. However, the CMA flat out rejected these proposals, effectively saying they were hard to enforce and wouldn’t do enough to protect competition in the cloud gaming market.
Now Microsoft and Activision will need to come up with new proposals that go further than that, in order to allay the CMA’s concerns. This could include bolstered licensing deals or even a potential spinoff of its cloud gaming business in the U.K.
