Xbox chief Phil Spencer is feeling good about Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition

It has been over seven months since Microsoft, and Activision Blizzard’s mega acquisition deal was announced, and gaming fans have yet to receive a definitive update. But Xbox head Phil Spencer recently said he is feeling good about the process.

Both companies were upfront about how long they expected the process would take, anticipating the deal to be finalized around 18 months after its announcement. To recap, Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in an all-cash deal.

Due to the magnitude of the transaction and its overall implications for the video games industry, it has been expected to be heavily scrutinized by various regulators around the world. Spencer, however, suggested that Microsoft is on the good track to get the deal approved. “I feel good about the progress that we've been making,” the Xbox chief said in an interview with Bloomberg.

The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been probing the deal since early July and expects to reach an initial decision on Sept. 1. Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has also been conducting public consultations as part of its own investigation of the transaction. A report in July claimed the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has already asked Microsoft and Activision Blizzard to respond to a Second Request, a requirement before gaining the agency’s approval.

This kind of scrutiny in different parts of the world is not surprising. Just earlier this year, Microsoft completed its multi-billion acquisition of Bethesda Software’s parent company. Activision Blizzard would be a massive addition to Microsoft’s gaming business, considering it publishes some of the industry’s biggest franchises like “Call of Duty.”

Spencer said that this is his first time going through a massive acquisition deal with nearly $69 billion involved. “So I don't know what my confidence means,” Spencer added. “I will say the discussions we've been having seem positive.”

In the same interview, Spencer made another attempt to assure gaming fans that the so-called “console war” between Xbox and PlayStation is not the driving force of the Activision Blizzard acquisition. The gaming exec says he hopes to see more titles support cross-platform play. “We really love to be able to bring more players in reducing friction … allowing them to find their friends, play with their friends, regardless of what device — I think in the long run that is good for this industry,” Spencer said.

Photo by Gage Skidmore from Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)