Shares of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) were up in morning trading on Friday after the U.K’s antitrust regulator, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) softened its stand on Microsoft’s (MSFT) proposed acquisition of the company for $69 billion.
The antitrust regulator stated that it has “provisionally concluded that the anticipated acquisition by Microsoft Corporation of Activision Blizzard, Inc. will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK.” It will issue a final report on the matter by April 26.
Year-to-date, ATVI stock has gone up by more than 9.1%.