Microsoft's Activision Acquisition Approval May Hit Major Milestone Soon

Microsoft's Activision acquisition may be getting one step closer to reality very soon. Earlier this year, Microsoft made the bombshell announcement that it was planning to acquire Activision for nearly $70 billion. It was earth-shattering news in the gaming industry as it is the largest acquisition in the history of gaming and would give Microsoft ownership over Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and so many other major franchises. The deal was met with scrutiny and although a lot of people are optimistic about the deal, politicians and other powerful figures have expressed concern over Microsoft swallowing up giant gaming companies left and right. Some have suggested the deal won't go through, but Warren Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway, is betting big on the deal.

With that said, the acquisition is nearing a major milestone soon. According to a new report from Dealseaker (via SeekingAlpha), Microsoft has responded to the FTC's second request for documentation and information in the Activision deal. As pointed out by Real Mi Central, if the FTC does not request any additional information in the next 30 days, the deal will be automatically approved by the US government agency. This doesn't mean that Xbox will automatically gain complete ownership over the company, though, as UK regulators still have to do their due diligence as well. Nevertheless, the FTC is a major player when it comes to these kinds of acquisitions and it bodes well for the future of this deal if they approve it. 

With that said, all of this is speculation and is just using the rules at hand to make a potential timeline. Microsoft and Activision have previously stated that they expect the deal to close by summer 2023 if everything goes right. It could happen far sooner than that if the FTC and others begin to give their approval. Only time will tell how things will turn out, but these agencies are bound to make sure they get everything they need for a deal of this scale, which could take longer than expected.

What do you want to see Microsoft do with Activision if the deal goes through? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.