Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will likely close by the beginning of 2023. If this happens, the number of Game Pass subscribers might reach 100 million, an analyst believes.
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter recently shared his thoughts in an interview with Yahoo! Finance.
- He thinks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is now reviewing the deal, has no legal basis to challenge the acquisition.
- “What the FTC will likely do and should do is seek an agreement with Microsoft and enter into a consent decree, not block the merger, not sue to block the merger,” the analyst said.
- He thinks that if the FTC doesn’t sue Microsoft by the end of October, they will likely approve the deal. Patcher expects the acquisition to close “no later than January 15.”
- Patcher also thinks that the number of Game Pass subscribers will grow from 25 million to 100 million once the deal is closed.
Despite all the scrutiny, Microsoft said in May that the Activision Blizzard acquisition is moving fast and entering its middle phase. Meanwhile, authorities across the globe continue to review the deal, with Sony telling a Brazilian regulator that no one can create a Call of Duty rival in terms of market impact.