Acquisition News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

According to a new report by The Verge, Microsoft's long acquisition struggle to own Activision Blizzard should be over next week. 

After reports speculated that a deal might be close for the sale of RuneScape developer Jagex from UK’s Carlyle private equity group to CVC Capital, the deal is now official.

Microsoft has beencleared to acquire Activision Blizzard by UK regulators, removing the last hurdle standing in the way of closing the deal.

The saga of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has dragged on for nearly two years at this point, but after having cleared several major regulatory hurdles, it seems like the $69 billion deal is edging closer to being finalized.

Microsoft is planning to officially close its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Friday, October 13, according to sources cited by The Verge.

Microsoft is confident it can complete its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard this time next week.

Microsoft is reportedly set to finalise its acquisition of Activision Blizzard next week.

The FTC has once again resumed its case against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, after a pause over the summer.

It’s been revealed that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recommenced its fight against Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision, after the trade watchdog lost its legal case attempting to halt the merger back in July.

After previously withdrawing the same, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it will move forward with its in-house trial against Microsoft regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This is after failing to file an injunction to halt the same and its appeal for the case being denied.

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The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) isn't giving up its legal fight against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As you're likely to remember, the US regulator tried to obtain a preliminary injunction to prevent Microsoft's deal from being completed but failed when Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the Northern District of California ruled in favor of Microsoft on July 11th.

Roblox has laid off 30 members of its talent acquisition team after scaling back its recruitment efforts.

Theorizing over potential and real acquisition deals remains top of mind in the games industry, thanks in no small part to Microsoft’s pending buyout of Activision Blizzard. It’s easy to forget that not every large gaming publisher is looking to get acquired in the first place. Capcom, for one, recently noted that its active strategy is to remain independent, even though it’s open to more collaborative projects should the opportunity arise.

Capcom would «gracefully decline» any acquisition offer from Microsoft, according to the company's chief operating officer.

Capcom is not interested in acquiring any new studios, nor is it interested in being aquired itself, its COO has said.

Last month, Microsoft submitted a new deal to the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority regulatory agency that proposes Ubisoft get the rights to Activision Blizzard game streaming for 15 years. Microsoft did this to get its acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by the CMA after the regulator previously blocked it over cloud gaming concerns. One month later, the CMA has granted preliminary approval to Microsoft due to its new Ubisoft deal. 

The UK's competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has released a statement confirming that Microsoft’s plans to sell Activision's cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft “substantially addresses most concerns” it had about the company’s proposed acquisition of Activision.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been a major source of corporate drama these past few months. Back in April, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) moved to block the acquisition, stating «Microsoft’s proposed solution failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector». This block included a massive, 200-plus page findings report that suggests «The evidence we have seen suggests that cloud gaming may be an important disruptive force in the gaming industry.» 

With the United States’ FTC having failed to make a strong enough case to block Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) remains among the last major stumbling blocks that the deal needs to clear, and all parties involved have now taken another significant step towards resolution.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has "provisionally" approved Microsoft's plan proposed purchase of Activision-Blizzard-King, potentially putting the deal one step closer to action.

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UK regulator the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally agreed to allow Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. Apply or nominate today!

Roblox, the community-focused gaming platform popular amongst kids, has downsized a substantial portion of its talent acquisition team, signaling a shift in the company’s focus from expansion to the bottom line.

A collection of indie game makers are in favor of Microsoft's $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft has made major moves in the acquisitions space over the last couple of years, having acquired Bethesda’s parent company ZeniMax for $7.5 billion, and currently being in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard in a massive deal worth $69 billion. Interestingly enough, another company that Microsoft seems to have its eyes on as a long-term prospect is none other than Nintendo.

Microsoft‘s gaming boss Phil Spencer told colleagues in 2020 that he saw Nintendo as a key acquisition target.

In the latest unredacted document oopsie stemming from the US Federal Trade Commission's efforts to stop Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, an email from Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer has surfaced in which he discusses the idea of buying Nintendo.

Embracer is reportedly considering the sale of Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment just over two years after it  purchased the company for $1.38 billion.

Independent game studios often walk a tightrope: on one side, the thrill of creating a unique gaming experience, and on the other, the precipice of financial ruin. The lifeline in this risky venture? User acquisition.

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Summit Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak  here  and learn more about sponsorship opportunities  here . 

Microsoft first announced its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard in 2022. Since then, the road to closing the deal has been a long, sinuous one. The megacorporation has faced pushback from several sources, including Sony. The competitor argues that the acquisition would be anti-competitive, especially if franchises like Call of Duty become Xbox and PC exclusives. Some governing bodies have also stepped in, now prompting Microsoft to revisit its initial agreement.

This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.

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In an amusing but inevitable twist considering Sony still holds the Call of Duty marketing rights, the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 will be playable first on PS5 and PS4 – despite Microsoft’s ongoing attempts to acquire publisher Activision Blizzard. By the time the title launches later this year, many are expecting the ink to be dry on the multi-billion-dollar buyout, but that won’t stop PlayStation owners from being able to play the latest title’s public beta five days earlier than anyone else.

It's official: Rovio is now a part of Sega. The Japanese developer fully completed its €706 million (or $775 million) acquisition of the Angry Birds studio. 

Sega has officially completed its acquisition of Angry Birds developer Rovio Entertainment.

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While Microsoft sent its final submission to the Consumer Markets Authority in the UK regarding its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, another regular has approved the deal. New Zealand’s Commerce Commission announced its approval, noting its focus on “the importance of Activision games (such as Call of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft) to New Zealand gamers.”

Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been approved by New Zealand's Commerce Commission.

Microsoft has sent a final report to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in an effort to persuade the watchdog to overturn its block on the US tech giant's plan to acquire Activision Blizzard.

With the US Federal Trade Commission’s request for an injunction on the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard denied, approval from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the only obstacle left. The latter initially denied the deal, with an appeal set to occur on July 28th, but the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) provided two months for both parties to resolve the same.

Sony and Microsoft are still in the market for picking up studios. Right now, the focus has been dominantly on Microsoft after they made a massive bid to acquire Activision Blizzard. With the nearly $69 billion bid still needing to be approved by regulators like the CMA, Sony might be gearing up for moves of their own. It looks like a new job listing has appeared online that shows Sony could be keen on bringing on someone to help oversee acquisitions. But just what their next big purchases will be remains to be seen at this moment.

Tencent, one of the world’s largest gaming companies, is set to gobble up Techland, the Polish game developer known for open-world zombie games like Dying Light, adding yet another member to its sprawling investment portfolio.

Missed the GamesBeat Summit excitement? Don't worry! Tune in now to catch all of the live and virtual sessions here.

Raider.IO announced today the acquisition of the Keystone.Guru website. With this acquisition, both teams will be able to work closely on new tools for the Mythic+ community in World of Warcraft.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has commented on Microsoft's takeover bid of Activision Blizzard, stating it validates Ubisoft's decision to expand into mobile gaming.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said Microsoft’s bid to acquire Activision Blizzard can be viewed as a sign that Ubisoft is on the right track with its current business strategy.

Kotick discussed the deal in a recent interview.

US antitrust agency the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly preparing to pause its upcoming in-house trial focussing on Microsoft's proposed $69bn USD acquisition of Activision Blizzard, potentially paving the way for settlement talks between the various parties.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have renegotiated the deadline for concluding the proposed acquisition of the Call of Duty publisher, giving them more leeway to conclude the discussions with market regulators with a new deadline to complete by 18th October 2023.

The sun finally came out for Microsoft. On 11 July, Judge Jacqueline Corley ruled in favor of the Redmond, Washington-based company in its dispute against the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the purchase of Activision Blizzard, one of the world's largest video game developers. An appeal by the FTC to temporarily halt the deal was denied by an appellate court late last week.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have renegotiated the deadline for concluding the proposed acquisition of the Call of Duty publisher, giving them more leeway to conclude the discussions with market regulators with a new deadline to complete by 18th October 2023.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard now have until October to complete their merger. 

We’ve reached the point with Microsoft’s proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard where it’s likely only a matter of time before the deal closes, but the trillion dollar tech titan still has some hurdles to overcome with the UK’s regulator. While it’s returned to the negotiating table with the Competition and Markets Authority, the original deadline for the deal closing was 18th July.

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Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, has been delayed past its July 18 deadline, the companies announced Wednesday. The deadline has been extended until Oct. 18 as Microsoft and Activision negotiate with the U.K.’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority.

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