The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is filing an appeal against a judge’s ruling that allowed the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft. The appeal has been submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, the day after U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the FTC’s request to halt the deal.
The FTC has been attempting to block Microsoft’s $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, arguing that it could negatively impact competition in the market. The concern is that if Microsoft, which already owns the Xbox game system, also gains control over major video game franchises like “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft,” it could harm competition.
Judge Corley stated that the FTC failed to demonstrate that the merger would cause significant harm to the industry, and it had little chance of succeeding if the case went to trial. In her ruling, she wrote, “The FTC has not shown it is likely to succeed on its assertion the combined firm will probably pull Call of Duty from Sony PlayStation, or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video game library subscription and cloud gaming markets.”
The FTC expressed disappointment with the outcome, stating that the merger poses a clear threat to open competition in cloud gaming, subscription services, and consoles. Activision Blizzard remains confident that the deal will proceed despite the appeal.
On the other hand, Microsoft’s Vice Chairman and President, Brad Smith, expressed disappointment with the FTC’s decision to appeal. He believes that the District Court’s ruling highlights the benefits of the acquisition for competition and consumers, and considers the FTC’s case weak.
In summary, the battle between the FTC and Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues with the FTC filing an appeal against the judge’s ruling. The outcome of this appeal will determine whether the deal can proceed.
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