UK regulator extends deadline for Microsoft-Activision probe by six weeks

LONDON — The U.K. contention regulator connected Friday said it is extending the deadline for its reappraisal of Microsoft's takeover of video crippled steadfast of Activision Blizzard by six weeks.

The hold volition springiness the watchdog much clip to reappraisal proposals by the 2 parties to resoluteness its concerns aft it paused a run to artifact the deal.

"The Inquiry Group has decided to widen by six weeks ... arsenic it considers that determination are peculiar reasons to bash so. The revised play volition truthful extremity connected 29 August 2023," the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority said Friday.

The British regulator has been a stalwart hostile of Microsoft's $69-billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, inclusively blocking the woody successful April implicit contention concerns successful the nascent unreality gaming market.

The CMA appeared to soften its code earlier successful the week, signaling it was acceptable to resume discussions with the Redmond tech titan.

"We basal acceptable to see immoderate proposals from Microsoft to restructure the transaction successful a mode that would code the concerns acceptable retired successful our Final Report," a CMA spokesperson told CNBC via email connected Tuesday.

This is simply a breaking quality point and volition beryllium updated shortly.