Microsoft reportedly expects to finalise its acquisition of Activision Blizzard next week

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

According to a source speaking to The Verge, the Xbox company is looking at Friday, October 13 as the potential closing date for the $68.7 billion deal.

The deal still depends on a final decision being made by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is the last major roadblock to the deal closing.

The CMA announced last month that it had provisionally agreed to allow the deal, following changes to the terms.

It then opened a consultation, the deadline for which ends today, after which it will make a final decision.

This decision is expected next week, and is expected to rule in Microsoft’s favour, meaning it will finally be free to complete the deal and acquire Activision Blizzard.

The CMA initially blocked the acquisition in April due to concerns about its impact on the nascent cloud gaming market.

Microsoft attempted to restructure its proposed acquisition by agreeing to sell cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft, leading the CMA to launch a new merger inquiry.

This move was seemingly enough to satisfy the CMA, which posted a new provisional decision in September saying it was now happy with the terms of the deal.

“While the CMA has identified limited residual concerns with the new deal, Microsoft has put forward remedies which the CMA has provisionally concluded should address these issues,” the CMA said at the time.

It added: “While the restructured deal is materially different to the previous transaction and substantially addresses most concerns, the CMA has limited residual concerns that certain provisions in the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft could be circumvented, terminated, or not enforced.

“To address these concerns, Microsoft has offered remedies to ensure that the terms of the sale of Activision’s rights to Ubisoft are enforceable by the CMA. The CMA has provisionally concluded that this additional protection should resolve those residual concerns.”