Despite various ongoing probes and investigations by the FTC and other authorities, Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is “moving fast,” according to Microsoft president Brad Smith.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard was announced in January, and it was said at the time that the deal was expected to be finalised before the end of Microsoft’s 2023 financial year.
Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard takeover is in the middle stages
Since then, we’ve heard of the FTC launching an antitrust investigation into the takeover to see if it would give Microsoft an unfair advantage and harm competition in the market. Now, speaking with Belgian outlet L’Echo (via VGC), Microsoft President Brad Smith has explained that Microsoft has received requests for information on the deal from European and UK regulators and that the acquisition is moving relatively quickly.
“It’s moving fast, at least fast enough for an acquisition of this size,” Smith said. “We have received requests for information on this subject here in Brussels, but also in London and Washington. We answer questions, we give briefings, and we provide the information requested.
“One of our attorneys summed it up nicely by saying, ‘We’re coming to the end of the beginning, and now we’re entering the beginning of the middle.’ It’s a long process, and we’re still at the stage where we’re answering questions. For us, of course, the sooner it is done, the better, but we will respect the process.”
Once the deal is approved, Microsoft has plans to bring as many Activision Blizzard games as it can to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
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