Microsoft Clears Major Hurdle: Court Rules Against FTC Attempt To Block Acquisition Of Activision-Blizzard
Image Source: IGN
When Microsoft announced it made a deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard back in January of 2022, it set the gaming world alight. Since then, it has been an up-and-down ride, and it came as no surprise when challenges to the acquisition began to spring up, the least of which came from Microsoft’s main gaming competitor, Sony.
It seems that the universe has other plans. Aside from Sony’s suit, Microsoft has faced hurdles from regulatory boards the world over, and even the Federal Trade Commission of the United States of America has sued to stop the merger with an anti-trust lawsuit. Despite all that (the FTC anti-trust lawsuit is still ongoing), Microsoft has cleared hurdle after hurdle, with a few hiccups. Add to that a ruling by a federal judge today, and the path ahead for Microsoft seems all but certain.
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Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California denied an injunction by the FTC to halt the merger before its July 18th deadline so they could finish their review of the deal. Now, the FTC can appeal, and they have, which could take it to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In some realm of possibility, it could also make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court if the FTC wins its appeal, but with the deadline for the deal approaching quickly, it’s unlikely, especially with Judge Corley’s opinion that the FTC’s reasoning was considered wanting.
One of the other major hurdles Microsoft faces comes out of a regulatory board in the UK, but according to Kotaku, Microsoft is negotiating with the regulatory board on the issues they had with the merger, and that could be cleared soon as well.
Activision-Blizzard is one of the largest gaming developers and producers out there, and Microsoft is a titan in and of itself within the electronic entertainment industry that such an acquisition could significantly shrink the size of the competitive market. If no other obstacles stand in their way, the gaming industry could turn into an entirely new frontier, and it could clear the way for more major acquisitions by competitors, almost as retaliation.
Strap in. As July 18 nears, things are going to get interesting.
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Source(s): Kotaku
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