For several months, Microsoft has been in the midst of a battle to try to have its takeover plan for Activision-Blizzard accepted. While the Japan Fair Trade Commission quickly validated the merger, the Competition and Markets Authority did not. Indeed, the UK regulator refused this large-scale takeover.
A decision that could have put Microsoft’s projects on hold. But that’s without counting on information revealed by our colleagues at Reuters and then Bloomberg, which tells us that the European Commission is on track to approve the takeover of Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft. According to their sources, this verdict should be revealed publicly on May 15, even if the Commission has so far declined to comment.
If this does not immediately act the takeover, it remains a huge step forward for Microsoft, which could strongly impact the other verdicts to come. In fact, the United States Federal Trade Commission, which had opposed the merger for the time being, just like the CMA, still has to be convinced.