Microsoft wins crucial FTC case on Activision Blizzard acquisition

eurogamer.net:

Microsoft has won its crucial court case against the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), clearing its way to acquire Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7bn.

Last week's dramatic court case hinged on whether the FTC could be allowed an injunction to temporarily block the deal while it investigated it further. But in reality it was viewed as a referendum on the deal's overall ability to still be successful.

Defeat in court would have left Microsoft's effort to buy the publisher behind World of Warcraft, Diablo 4 and Candy Crush dead in the water, Microsoft had previously admitted. Today's decision rekindles Microsoft's hopes of closing the deal with just days to go until its 18th July deadline, and despite the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) still standing in opposition.

In a further development today, Microsoft president Brad Smith has said the FTC's decision has prompted it and the CMA to agree that a «stay of litigation» is now «in the public interest» — sparking further hope for Microsoft of a breakthrough on these shores.

«After today's court decision in the US, our focus now turns back to the UK,» Smith said today in a statement shared to Eurogamer. «While we ultimately disagree with the CMA's concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA.

»In order to prioritise work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."

Microsoft previously said it begin a long and likely arduous route to appeal the CMA's decision