Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King has been delayed to October as the companies negotiate with the UK’s CMA, which has blocked the merger.
Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, has been delayed past its July 18 deadline, the companies announced Wednesday. The deadline has been extended until Oct. 18 as Microsoft and Activision negotiate with the U.K.’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority.
The CMA blocked Microsoft’s buyout of Activision Blizzard in April, arguing that the merger would lead to “reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come” in the burgeoning cloud gaming market. Microsoft and Activision quickly appealed that decision, but on Monday, the Xbox maker and the CMA asked a judge to stay that process — the parties are reported to have held “productive” talks on remedies that Microsoft could agree to in order to help the deal pass.
