In an unprecedented turn of events, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has invited responses to Microsoft’s new arguments and reopened its consultation, which could mean the $75bn takeover of Activision Blizzard could finalise after all.

CMA has asserted that the deal warrants renewed consideration due to additional evidence submitted by Microsoft inclusive of recent takeover agreements reached with the European Commission and a new 10-year licensing contract with Sony for Activision’s hit Call of Duty game.

The evidence includes information surrounding a United States judge to overturn the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to block the deal, and this coupled with other arguments could open the door to a reversal of CMA’s initial decision to block the mega merger.

“Submissions of this nature are possible but are very rare,” the regulator said.

“We will consider Microsoft’s submissions carefully, along with other responses from interested parties.”

If CMA rules in Microsoft’s favour, this would be the first time since Brexit a reversal of this nature occurred, and it could be a sweeping decision which could be a gamechanger for the global gaming market.

Within Microsoft’s recent submission, it contended that licensing deals with cloud gaming services, like Nvidia, Boosteroid, Ubitus, and Cloudware, should also be reviewed.

These contracts were formerly presented as probable remedies to the CMA’s concerns, however, the UK regulator disagreed it was not enough to assure Microsoft would not terminate or renegotiate contracts.

Contrary to the UK regulator, the EU’s competition regulator approved the Activision deal in May contingent on the cloud gaming agreements acknowledged as remedies. The EU regulator also accepted the binding 10-year requirement that the tech leader would uphold the licenses.

According to Microsoft, the additional measures should appease the CMA’s objections, and it is also in the “advanced stages of putting forward a proposal to modify” the merger, which could be considered a restructuring of the deal with Activision.

If the deal is modified, a new CMA antitrust probe could be activated.

The ownness, however, is now sitting with CMA whose final ruling deadline on whether to block the deal is August 29th.