FTC is Again Attempting to Stop Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Acquisition - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 07 December 2023 / 1,759 Views
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US has once again attempting to stop Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition despite the deal being completed on October 13.
The FTC it attempting to appeal to overturn the previous US court decision that let the deal be approved, according to Reuters. The FTC is arguing the federal judge was wrong in her decision.
Lawyer Imad Abyad, speaking for the FTC, argued the judge held the agency to too high a standard and required it to prove the acquisition was anticompetitive. He says that Microsoft has ability and incentive to keep Activision Blizzard games off of non-Xbox platforms.
Abyad said the FTC "showed that in the past that's what Microsoft did" and mentioned that Microsoft made some Zenimax and Bethesda games exclusive after buying the company.
Lawyer Rakesh Kilaru, speaking for Microsoft, said the FTC case was "weak" and "that the standard can't be as low as the FTC is suggesting." He added, "It can't be kind of a mere scintilla of evidence."
Reuters speaking with two antitrust scholars who listened to the arguments said the FTC is facing an uphill battle and it would have a hard time winning its appeal.
Microsoft has signed legally binding agreements with Nintendo and Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on Nintendo platforms and PlayStation platforms for the next 10 years.
Microsoft has also sold the streaming rights to Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. This includes current and new Activision Blizzard games for the next 15 years and the rights will be in perpetuity.
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.
