FTC vs Microsoft is the stuff of legends | Kaser Focus

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You’ll forgive me if this Kaser Focus is a bit longer than usual, but things really popped off this week. Last week, we saw the beginnings of the case between the FTC and Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This week, the two sides wrapped up their arguments and it’s down to Judge Corley to deliver a verdict. Now, you know me — I love legal drama in gaming, if only because each case is usually a treasure trove of passive-aggressive, petty nonsense that only corporate lawyers have the time to whip up. But this case is one for the record books.

I’m not going to break down all of the juicy news from the trial — go read this week’s DeanBeat if you wanna see some of the more interesting revelations. But I do think the FTC came into this case on the back foot. It says something that the judge had to remind the FTC’s reps that the case is not supposed to be about protecting Sony, but consumers. The FTC also focused on Call of Duty to the detriment of its other arguments, in my opinion. That said, Microsoft showed that it’s not disingenuous either — the documents in this case reveal the company has considered buying a lot of other publishers as a shortcut to a higher spot in the market.

As with the Epic vs Apple case, the judge is my actual hero here. Her Honor Jacqueline Scott Corey is now up there with Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on my list of judges who aren’t afraid to call gaming entities out. It’s not a long list, necessarily, but with those two on it, it doesn’t need to be. Judge Corley even wrapped up the case with what I feel was the only question of any merit: Why is Call of Duty so