Microsoft’s plans for industry domination continue to grab the headlines. Now, only the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stands in the way of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, Microsoft does not need the approval of the CMA and can actually close the deal as it stands.

Following its defeat in court, the FTC filed an appeal which was quickly shot down the same judge who presided over the initial case. The FTC then went to the Ninth Court in a bid to get injunctive relief but that request has been denied.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have until July 18th to close the $68.7 billion deal. At that point either company could decide to walk away, with Microsoft having to provide Activision Blizzard a $2.7 billion payout. Its far more likely, though, that they’ll simply negotiate an extension if everything is not already done and dusted by then.

After the FTC’s court loss, the CMA and Microsoft agreed to halt litigation in the UK in order to see if Microsoft and Activision Blizzard could modify the proposal in a way that would alleviate the CMA’s concerns which are largely based upon the fledgling cloud gaming market.

In theory, Microsoft could simply pull Activision Blizzard from the UK, including providing us with a version of Game Pass that doesn’t have any of Activision Blizzard’s games. That would be a drastic move, though, considering the UK is their second biggest market.

Whatever happens, the deal seems all but inevitable now, barring a last minute change of heart from Activision Blizzard or Microsoft themselves.