Activision Blizzard said on Wednesday it has extended the deadline for the close of its US$69-billion takeover by Microsoft to 18 October as the companies work to secure approval from the UK.
The two US companies had originally agreed to close the deal by 18 July, but US regulatory efforts to block the takeover and Britain’s push to restructure it have delayed the close.
The US Federal Trade Commission’s bid to temporarily stop the deal was denied twice, first by a federal judge and then by an appeals court.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority had earlier decided to block the deal, but after the US court ruling left Britain alone in opposition, it reversed course last week and extended its deadline for a final ruling to 29 August. — Chavi Mehta and Yuvraj Malik, (c) 2023 Reuters