Microsoft has finally managed to settle against 10 gamers in court
It's with my hat in my hand and a sorrowful expression on my face that I, standing outside the proverbial front door in this metaphor, must give you the sad news that 10 gamers have fallen in battle. They're still alive, it's just that Microsoft has settled against them in court «with prejudice». In case you're out of the loop, back in December 2022, a group of 10 Call of Duty fans filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft opposing its acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.
The suit claimed that «the proposed acquisition would give Microsoft an unrivalled position in the gaming industry, leaving it with the greatest number of must-have games and iconic franchises. Microsoft would have the ability to foreclose important inputs to rivals of console gaming by making some or all of Activision Blizzard’s important catalogue of games, including Call of Duty, exclusive to Microsoft platforms or partially exclusive.»
The lawsuit was tossed in March 2023, as a judge determined that the plaintiffs had not proven it was «reasonably likely» that Microsoft would make games like Call of Duty exclusive, adding that their evidence was «unpersuasive».
They were able to refile the action, which they did, though their request for a preliminary injunction to stop the merger dead was denied in May 2023 because there was «nothing in the record that suggests upon the merger Microsoft can do anything to make these Call of Duty versions currently owned by Plaintiffs somehow stop working, let alone that it would do so.»
While the exact agreement of the settlement isn't clear, considering how little steam the suit itself seems to have gathered—and the fact that the suit has now been dismissed «with prejudice» as per Hollywood Reporter, meaning it can't be refiled.
I'm being speculative here, but I'm not stupendously optimistic that these determined gamers have scored any sort of decisive blow against a company rich enough to make a $68.7 billion purchase. At the
Read more on pcgamer.com
