Microsoft is aiming to close its US$69-billion deal for Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard on 13 October if it gets approval from Britain’s antitrust regulator, The Verge reported on Friday, citing a source.
The Xbox maker had in July extended the cutoff date for the deal to 18 October to get more time to secure approval from the UK.
The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Microsoft won preliminary approval from the Competition and Markets Authority last month after Activision agreed to sell its streaming rights to Ubisoft Entertainment.
Read: Activision to sell streaming rights to secure Microsoft deal
If successful, the purchase would mark the biggest deal in the gaming industry, bringing together Microsoft’s heft in the console market with Activision’s titles including Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. — Zaheer Kachwala, (c) 2023 Reuters