Microsoft settles antitrust lawsuit over Activision Blizzard acquisition
gamesindustry.bizAn antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard has been settled.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, both parties notified the court on Monday that the case was to be dismissed "with prejudice," meaning it could not be refiled.
The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Lawyers agreed in a court filing that "each party shall bear their own costs and fees."
The private consumer lawsuit was initially filed in December 2022 over antitrust concerns. The case was dismissed in March 2023 after a federal judge in San Francisco ruled the complaint "[lacked] allegations" but granted the plaintiffs 20 days to resubmit the case.
It was refiled in April 2023 with additional information, including internal documents and redacted sections relating to ten-year agreements Microsoft made with Sony and Nintendo.
Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard was first announced in January 2022, but it was delayed due to regulatory issues brought forward in the UK, EU, and US. The deal eventually went through in October 2023.
Since the acquisition, the firm has seen mass layoffs in its gaming division. The Federal Trade Commission claimed that Microsoft contradicted its intentions of the merger when it laid off 1,900 employees at the beginning of the year.
In response, Microsoft stated that Activision Blizzard had planned to make cuts regardless of the deal being finalised.
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