FTC Currently Has Had No 'Substantive' Settlement Talks With Microsoft Over Activision Deal - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 04 January 2023 / 2,461 Views
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) attorney James Weingarten pretrial hearing said there have so far been no "substantive" settlement with Microsoft over its Activision Blizzard acquisition, according to a report from Reuters.
The FTC in December announced it was looking to block the deal as it would give Microsoft the ability to suppress its competitors in gaming.
Microsoft has offered to sign a legally binding consent decree with the FTC that it will guarantee Call of Duty will remain on rival platforms including the PlayStation for a decade. Microsoft has entered a 10-year commitment with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms if the acquisition is approved.
If the deal goes to trial, FTC administrative law judge Michael Chappell will rule on the deal during hearings that are set to start in August 2023. The acquisition still needs approval in the UK, European Union, and many more.
Chile's regulatory authority, the Fiscalia Nacional Economica, last week released its ruling on Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition and has voted to approve the deal in Phase 1. The acquisition has also been confirmed to have been approved in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Serbia unconditionally.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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FTC flat out lying once again, and for some weak sauce reason MS refuses to call them out for their lies.
The FTC has totally rejected any settlement options with MS acquiring Activision/Blizzard. So that means they are Lying to the judge and it should see FTC in hot trouble, but they will get away with it once again. Gross.
I mean; I'm not a an expert layer here but if this was REALLY the case. Microsoft layers would have def. said something during the prehearing... Unless you know better than them of course? :)
Throughout this, Microsoft's lawyers have tried to kill the FTC with kindness, whereas Activision's lawyers have been the attack dogs, so if this is true I'd watch for Activision's lawyers to go on the offensive about it. We'll see.
I can't say I'm surprised at the FTC anymore.
I think there is a 100% chance of settling this. I cannot imagine a scenario where the deal does not close.
