: FTC may pause opposition to Microsoft-Activision merger: report

The Federal Trade Commission is ready to pause its in-house trial against Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. ATVI, opening the door to potential settlement talks, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. Such an outcome is considered a victory for Microsoft and Activision in their pursuit of the biggest gaming deal despite regulatory challenges in the U.S. and the U.K. Microsoft and the FTC were not immediately available for comment. The mega-deal is scheduled to close Oct. 18.

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