Whether Microsoft will be able to acquire Activision Blizzard will become clear in the coming weeks. Opinions on the hearings are virtually unanimous – the Federal Trade Commission failed to present concrete reasons why the deal should be blocked.
However, it is too early for Microsoft to relax, as legal proceedings before the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal will take place from July 28 to August 4. British officials (CMA), seeing the FTC's failure to put forward concrete arguments, wanted to delay the hearing, but the tribunal disagreed with them:
“The case is substantial, and there is a great deal of material for any new counsel to master, but we consider that a month is sufficient time, provided the CMA instructs counsel with adequate time to prepare, particularly given the support available within the CMA and its existing legal team.”
The Competition Appeal Tribunal will not decide whether the merger should take place, but can only determine whether the CMA made the right decision in seeking to block the deal. If the tribunal sides with Microsoft, the Competition and Markets Authority will have to reconsider the deal.