The Microsoft deal could close soon as Activision Blizzard is set to leave the stock exchange

Activision Blizzard is set to leave the Nasdaq stock exchange, indicating that Microsoft may soon complete its $69 billion purchase of the company.

The US-based publisher of Call of Duty, Diablo and Candy Crush is expected to leave the Nasdaq-100 index on July 17, a day before the deal’s July 18 deadline. Nasdaq announced Another company, The Trade Desk, Inc. , will replace Activision Blizzard on the stock exchange.

The news comes after the FTC filed an appeal challenging the recent ruling by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

The trial, in which Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled in favor of Microsoft, was held last month. Judge Corley issued a decision this week denying the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, noting that the FTC, among other things, failed to establish that the deal would be anti-competitive.

In response to the appeal, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told IGN: “The facts have not changed. We are confident that the United States will remain among the 39 countries in which a merger can take place. We look forward to advancing the strength of our case in court again.”

In a separate statement, Microsoft President Brad Smith said, “The district court ruling makes it clear that this acquisition is beneficial to both competition and consumers. We are disappointed that the FTC continues to pursue what has become a clearly weak case, and we will oppose further efforts to delay capacity.” Go on.”

The FTC’s appeal will try to win a preliminary injunction blocking Activision Blizzard’s merger with Xbox before a trial scheduled for August. If the deal isn’t finalized by July 18th, Xbox will be forced to pay Activision Blizzard $3 billion and the acquisition could potentially be opened for renegotiation. We recently spoke to analysts who expressed confidence that the deal will go through. but, The FTC still has a few options at its disposalincluding on appeal.

Meanwhile, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are appealing against the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decision to block the deal while all parties undertake a potential restructuring of the acquisition.

The current temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing Microsoft from finalizing the transaction expires at midnight on Thursday, July 13. Unless an appeals court rules before that date that the TRO must be extended until a hearing, Microsoft has the right to complete the acquisition as of Friday. July 14, even with an appeal pending. However, such a move for the time being would be without an agreement with the Capital Market Authority.

Wesley is IGN’s UK News Editor. You can find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or secretly in [email protected].