Soon after Microsoft Activision deal announcement, US govt states it is overhauling merger guidelines

Microsoft yesterday announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The deal will conclude in 2023, which is when the transition will complete. Just a few hours after the announcement, the US government’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched a joint review of antitrust merger guidelines. Also Read — Call of Duty season 2 delayed: Could this be because of the Microsoft acquisition deal?

Under this joint review, the DOJ and FTC will go over the merger guidelines to improve the ability of antitrust agencies to assess “unlawful mergers” and enforce regulations. The joint review was announced by FTC chair Lina Khan during a joint livestream. Also Read — Xbox boss says Activision is not acquired to 'pull communities away' from PlayStation

<p dir=«ltr» lang=«en» xml:lang=«en»>FTC and @JusticeATR seek to strengthen enforcement against illegal mergers. Agencies launch joint public inquiry aimed at modernizing merger guidelines to better detect and prevent anticompetitive deals: https://t.co/kPqDvOqDV7 /1 Also Read — Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard, King for $68.7 billion: Its largest acquisition to date

— FTC (@FTC) January 18, 2022

<p dir=«ltr» lang=«en» xml:lang=«en»>Recent evidence indicates that many industries across the economy are becoming more concentrated and less competitive – imperiling choice and economic gains for consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. /2

— FTC (@FTC) January 18, 2022

<p dir=«ltr» lang=«en» xml:lang=«en»>These problems are likely to persist or worsen due to an ongoing merger surge that has more than doubled merger filings from 2020 to 2021. /3

— FTC (@FTC) January 18, 2022

<p dir=«ltr» lang=«en» xml:lang=«en»>To address mounting concerns, Read more on bgr.in