The end of the story will be later: Microsoft's appeal to block ActivisionBlizzard's acquisition postponed for 2 months

It seemed that the situation around Microsoft's acquisition of ActivisionBlizzard was supposed to be over. They even signed an agreement with Sony to release Call of Duty on PlayStation by 2033, but not everything is so simple in this life.

Here's What We Know

The CAT, the UK's Court of Appeal for Competition, has postponed Microsoft's appeal against the CMA, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, blocking the deal for 2 months, although the hearing was originally scheduled for 28 July.

In order to allow Microsoft to acquire ActivisionBlizzard, the corporation proposed new terms of the deal, which mainly concern changes in cloud gaming. The deal was blocked because of the fear that Microsoft would monopolise this area.

The CMA stated that the additional time would allow the agency to discuss Microsoft's proposals promptly and constructively. Also, both parties are confident that the restructuring of the deal can eliminate the problems identified by the regulator. We'll see what happens next.

Flashback

In January, Microsoft announced the acquisition of ActivisionBlizzard, the creators of Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and other franchises. The transaction value is $68.7 billion, which is significantly higher than the $7.5 billion that Microsoft spent on the acquisition of Bethesda back in 2020. The deal is the largest in the history of gaming. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2023.

Source: reuters