Earlier this year, Microsoft signed a "binding" 10-year agreement with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to its platforms.
The US Federal Trade Commission's appeal against the verdict by Judge Corley in its trial against Microsoft has been denied by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
However, the CMA says it "aims to discharge its duty as soon as possible and in advance of this date."
The FTC was recently denied an injunction against the proposed acquisition, while Microsoft has also begun negotiating with the CMA.
The FTC hopes to use its appeal to try and file an injunction against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard until a trial slated for August.
The CMA also states that if Microsoft chooses to suggest a restructured deal during negotiations, it could still "lead to a new merger investigation."
The FTC has until Friday to appeal against the recent ruling, which denied an injunction against Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft's Brad Smith said it's looking at how to modify the deal and address "concerns in a way acceptable to the CMA."
Microsoft is now free to close the deal ahead of the July 18th deadline but must solve its issues with the CMA in the UK.
The update brings with it Starlight, Black Noir, and Homelander from The Boys, along with other features such as playing battle royale on the Vondel map and a new Gulag.
Microsoft made the decision that all ZeniMax games would be Xbox exclusive back in 2021.
"It’s probably the second most successful video game system of all time, so it was a bad decision on my part," says Bobby Kotick.
Activision only agreed to bring Call of Duty games to Xbox Series X/S after Microsoft agreed to an 80/20 revenue split.
PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan wrote in an internal email in January 2022 that he believes Microsoft's bid to acquire Activision is "not an Xbox exclusivity play at all."
Microsoft reveals Xbox had a global market share of just 16% for the year of 2021, lagging behind PlayStation and Nintendo.
Sony's Jim Ryan revealed that Activision and PlayStation collaborated on technical features for Call of Duty, though the results are unknown.
The FTC believes that actions like making Starfield exclusive to Xbox consoles is evidence enough to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft has been blocked from completing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard thanks to an injunction filed against the deal by the FTC.
Microsoft president Brad Smith is set to meet with UK Chancellor Jeremy to "voice his frustration" over CMA blocking the deal.
Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick has stated in an interview that the company has never had an issue with harassing its employees.
