Microsoft, Activision Watch Hurdles to $69 Billion Deal Fall

  • US court cleared a roadblock by siding against FTC last week
  • UK Competition Appeal Tribunal to hold a hearing on the deal
Microsoft, Activision Edge Closer to Completing Deal
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Microsoft Corp. and Activision Blizzard Inc. — the video-game empire it’s seeking to take over in a $69 billion deal — are edging closer to completing one of the biggest acquisitions of all time.

Over the weekend, Microsoft struck a deal with Sony Group Corp., arguably the staunchest opponent to the takeover, to ensure Activision’s popular Call of Duty franchise remains on Sony’s PlayStation platform for a decade. Two days earlier, a US court cleared another roadblock when it denied a request by the US Federal Trade Commission to put the acquisition on hold.