After Microsoft has received the green light to close its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company has begun to pull the strings so that it happens without setbacks. Although it is getting closer to completion, with the UK being the last major market where the deal is still being delayed after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the acquisition in April.
Recently, however, it was announced that Microsoft and CMA had suspended litigation and begun negotiations regarding the deal, while soon after, the UK regulator announced that it had delayed the abode for its final decision on the acquisition until the August 29.
Now, as reported by Reuters, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has also granted a two-month extension to finalize the deal, allowing a stay of legal proceedings to allow Microsoft and the CMA solve any problem related to it. Legal proceedings for Microsoft’s appeal against the CMA block were originally scheduled to begin on July 28.
The CMA said last week that the acquisition could still face a new merger investigation once Microsoft files a restructured agreement with the regulator. Previously, reports have claimed that Microsoft has considered pulling Activision Blizzard out of the UK entirely to avoid the CMA block.
