Microsoft President says Activision Blizzard acquisition is ‘moving fast’

Back in January, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard as part of the largest merger in video games history. It has been a while since we last had an update on the process, but according to Microsoft's President and Vice Chair, things are moving relatively quickly. 

Currently, Microsoft plans to close the acquisition deal in the first half of 2023, giving the company 18 months to pass regulatory checks and squash any outstanding issues. We're almost a third of the way through that timetable, and according to Microsoft's Brad Smith, things are progressing well.

During an interview with L'Echo (via VGC) this week, Smith said the deal is “moving fast, at least fast enough for an acquisition of this size”. Smith also confirmed that Microsoft has received requests for information from regulators in the UK and EU. Right now, the process is “coming to the end of the beginning” and entering the ‘middle' phase.

While the deal is moving forward for now, a legal case from the FTC, or competition regulators in the EU and UK could stop the deal in its tracks. With that in mind, we won't know how likely the acquisition is until regulators make make their final decisions.

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KitGuru Says: With the amount of scrutiny surrounding Bobby Kotick and Activision Blizzard's business practices, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft ran into some major bumps in the road in the months ahead. 

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