Report: FTC "likely" to challenge Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard
Politico is reporting that the United States Federal Trade Commission (the primary regulator of corporate acquisitions in the United States) is "likely" planning a lawsuit that would attempt to halt Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
If the agency chooses to file a lawsuit, it could come as early as next month.Sources speaking to Politico said that plans for a lawsuit were not finalized yet (the FTC's four commissioners have not formally issued a complaint), but staff reviewing the deal are reportedly "skeptical" of the arguments presented by the two companies.
The CEOs of both companies—Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Activision Blizzard's Bobby Kotick—have reportedly been deposed as part of this process.
If the FTC were to file such a lawsuit, it would be the most significant antitrust prosecution in some time. FTC Chair Lina Khan has spent 2022 signaling her intent to reign in larger tech mergers.
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