FTC wants to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard

FTC wants to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard

San Francisco, 6/15/2023

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking a court order to temporarily block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard while its antitrust lawsuit pending.

In the complaint filed Monday, the FTC said Microsoft and Activision plan to finalize the deal soon, despite legal opposition in the US and UK.

The FTC initially filed a lawsuit in December to block the deal, citing concerns about Microsoft’s control over consumer access to Activision’s games and potential competition harm

the latest filing seeks an injunction to prevent the $69 billion deal from completing before the case is heard.

Microsoft intends to complete the acquisition before the July 18 deadline, while the FTC is trying to stall the acquisition to avoid complications after the closing. An evidence hearing is scheduled for August 2.

The timing of the lawsuit coincides with Microsoft’s appeal against UK regulators’ decision to block the merger.

The European regulators have already approved the merger.

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