Microsoft has received the green light from a San Francisco court to proceed with the $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard.
This decision overturns the US Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block the largest transaction ever in the gaming world.
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley’s decision will allow Microsoft to attempt to close the merger with Activision by the July 18 deadline in every location except the United Kingdom, which vetoed the deal in May.
Microsoft has struck a deal with Activision in order to add mobile games, an area where it currently has no significant presence. Activision owns King, the creator of Candy Crush, as well as Call of Duty Mobile. The merger would propel Microsoft into third place among global video game companies, behind China’s Tencent, publisher of League of Legends, and Sony.