The Federal Trade Commission is apparently split on how to proceed with its assessment of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

That's according to the New York Post, which reports that at least one Democratic member of the four-person panel deciding what to do with the merger has taken a "sympathetic" view of the situation.

The panel consists of three Democrats and one Republication, meaning that it would be at an impasse. As a result, this could likely result in the deal being approved but with some concessions.

“Lina [Khan, current FTC chair] would probably not put things in a position for that to take place, so instead of having that vote she would make the motion to approve the settlement,” former FTC chair William Kovacic said.

“The way out is to say, ‘We got a great deal and only got it because we’ve been badasses.'”

This comes in the wake of rumours that the FTC was moving to block the acquisition via a lawsuit.

"As we have said before, we are prepared to address the concerns of regulators, including the FTC, and Sony to ensure the deal closes with confidence," a Microsoft representative said.

"We'll still trail Sony and Tencent in the market after the deal closes, and together Activision and Xbox will benefit gamers and developers and make the industry more competitive."