The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Microsoft from completing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard, the latest antitrust challenge to the proposed merger but one that could hasten its conclusion
The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Microsoft from completing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard, the latest antitrust challenge to the proposed merger but one that could hasten a conclusion to the drawn-out dispute.
The FTC’s Monday filing in a San Francisco federal court seeks a temporary restraining order and injunction to stop Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of the California company behind hit games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.
Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game system, has been struggling to win worldwide approval for the deal with just over a month before the deadline to close it, according to the contract it signed with Activision. While a number of countries have approved the acquisition, regulators for two important economies — the U.S. and the United Kingdom — have argued it could suppress competition in the video game market.
“We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court,“ said a statement Monday from Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president. “We believe accelerating the legal process in the U.S will ultimately bring more choice and competition to the market.”
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick in a letter to employees also characterized Monday’s FTC filing as a ”positive development“ because the companies would be able to more quickly present their arguments to a federal judge.
The FTC already took Microsoft to court last year to block the merger, but that case was brought to the U.
