The US Securities and Exchange Commission has given its blessing to Microsoft's impending acquiring of Bethesda-parent ZeniMax Media, eliminating one more barrier to the deal's completion.
That approval comes in the form of a notice of effectiveness published earlier today, meaning the SEC has reviewed the acquisition and given its go ahead for the deal to move forward. However, the deal is unable to close until regulators in the EU similarly gives their approval.
Microsoft announced its intent to acquire ZeniMax Media in a $7.5 billion deal in September 2020. As of that initial announcement, that deal is expected to close in the second half of the 2021 fiscal year, which could be anywhere from now until June 30 depending on the timing of European Commission's impending decision. Once approved, this'll bring prolific studios like Bethesda, id Software, Arkane, and several others into Microsoft's growing Xbox Game Studios division.
Update 3/8/21: The European Commission has now followed suit and approved Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media.